AS    TO     POL  O 


By 


WILLIAM  CAMERON  FORBES 


DEDHAM   COUNTRY  AND   POLO   CLUB 
MANILA    POLO   CLUB 


Copyright,     1919,     by 
WILLIAM    CAMERON    FORBES 


All   rights  reserved 


PRESS   OF  GEO.   H.   ELLIS  CO.,   BOSTON 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Note  to  the  Third  Edition             .....  y 

Introduction     -----....  yii 

Chapter  I.     Tlie  game         ......  i 

II.     The  polo  club -  9 

III.  Field,  ponies  and  equipment    -         -         .  15 

IV.  Rules     --------  25 

v.     Horsemanship  - 39 

VI.     Use  of  the  mallet         -----  55 

VII.     Team  play         ......  74 

VIII.     Duties  of  No.  1    -         -         -         -         -         -  102 

IX.     Duties  of  No.  2        -         -         -         -         -  111 

X.     Duties  of  No.  3  -         -         -         -         -         -  110 

XI.     Duties  of  No.  4 124 

XII.     Duties  of  the  captain         -         -         -         -  130 

XIII.  Match  playing  -.-...  140 

XIV.  A  possible  way  of  supplying  ponies   -         -  14G 
Diagrams 


NOTE    TO    THE    THIRD    EDITION. 


This  little  book  was  first  written  in  very  busy 
days  in  the  Philippine  Islands  and  sent  out  with  a 
good  deal  of  hesitation,  as  the  author  was  in  doubt 
as  to  the  correctness  of  many  of  his  conclusions  and 
as  to  the  reception  that  such  a  book  would  receive. 
It  has  been  received  so  cordially  that  this  third 
edition  is  now  complete  and  is  offered  to  polo 
players. 

The  first  edition  contained  many  errors  and  was 
shortly  replaced  by  a  second,  the  supply  of  which 
was  exhausted  late  in  1918.  During  the  war  no 
effort  was  made  to  print  a  third  edition  and  a  few 
remaining  copies  of  the  first  were  used  to  supply  the 
unexpected  large  demand  this  winter  and  spring. 
The  third  edition  contains  a  small  amount  of  new 
matter,  numerous  corrections,  some  additional  com- 
ment, and  one  additional  diagram.  The  chapter  on 
rules  is  mostly  new.  Although  out  of  date  for  this 
edition,  the  introduction  has  been  left,  except  for 
certain  verbal  changes,  as  written  for  the  earlier 
editions. 

The  author  thought  at  first  of  calling  the  book 
A  Polo  Primer,  as  an  indication  that  it  was  intended 
only  for  beginners,  but  it  seems  to  have  met  a  fairly 
general  demand  and  is,  I  believe,  in  use  by  army 
players  and  members  of  several  of  the  newer  polo 
clubs.      Commendations    have    come    from    various 


Vi  ^OTE  TO  THE   ThIRD  EDITION 

directions   and   sometimes    rather   distant   sources. 
For  example,  Dillingham  writes : 

"Your  little  book  gives  a  prospective  player 
more  information  that  he  ought  to  know  than 
any  book  I  have  ever  read.  In  Hawaii,  as  a 
measure  of  safety,  we  make  all  beginners  read 
your  book  before  they  are  permitted  to  play  in 
a  practice  game.  I  believe  that  the  mutual  un- 
derstanding of  the  players  on  our  best  teams 
has  been  largely  brought  about  through  the 
study  of  your  outline  on  combination  play." 

The  author  has  asked  and  received  searching 
criticism  from  uumy  players  and  invites  further 
criticism  of  the  book.  Some  of  the  earlier  critical 
comments  are  noted  in  the  text ;  others  are  left  out, 
as  sharp  differences  of  opinion  have  developed 
among  players  of  great  skill  in  regard  to  many 
fundamental  elements  of  play. 

Copies  of  this  edition,  which  is  privately  printed, 
may  be  obtained  by  communicating  with  J.  M. 
Forbes  &  Company,  Sears  Building,  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. 

W.  C.  F. 


Boston,  May  7,  1919. 


INTRODUCTION 


In  fourteen  years'  experience  as  a  j)olo  player  I 
have  seen  many  players  of  several  years'  experience 
who  had  elementary  faults  that  ought  to  have  been 
eliminated  in  the  first  few  weeks  of  their  instruc- 
tion. This  has  impelled  me  to  write  down  some 
points  on  polo  drawn  from  observation  and  from 
the  instruction  I  have  been  privileged  to  receive. 
It  is  hoped  that  these  may  prove  useful  to  others. 

I  began  polo  under  exceptionally  favorable  aus- 
pices in  a  growing  club,  the  first  team  of  which 
played  few  outside  matches  and  devoted  its  prin- 
cipal energies  to  the  home  practice  games,  so  that 
polo  was  nearly  continuous  and  the  practice  little 
broken  up  by  match  playing. 

The  first  team  was  not  composed  of  brilliant  play- 
ers and  had  depended  for  its  success  ui)on  skill 
and  team  play.  The  four  members  had  played 
several  years  together  and  each  one  used  his  head, 
thought  out  beforehand  the  proper  strategy  of  each 
play,  and  kept  winning  matches  because  the  handi- 
cap committee  could  not  bring  itself,  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  the  merits  of  the  individual  players  were 
by  no  means  superlative,  to  give  them  greater  handi- 
caps than  were  carried  by  their  more  brilliant  breth- 
ren who  had  lost  to  them  through  lack  of  coordi- 
nation of  the  team  parts. 

In  my  second  year  of  polo  the  No.  2  on  this  team 
stopped  playing  for  a  while,  and  in  my  third  year 


viii  Introduction 

I  made  his  position  on  the  team  and,  as  a  result,  got 
into  many  matches  and  had  the  advantage  of  having 
three  trained  men,  who  had  played  together  for 
years,  holding  their  posts  and  keeping  me  to  mine. 
Credit  for  this  good  team  play  and  consequent  suc- 
cess was  wholly  due  to  the  admirable  captaincy  of 
that  noble  sportsman,  Samuel  Dennis  Warren,  of 
Boston, 

It  is  much  easier  to  start  right  than  to  unlearn 
a  fault  to  which  one  has  become  habituated.  If  be- 
fore beginning  to  play,  the  player  learns  to  start 
the  stroke  from  the  perpendicular,  for  example,  and 
to  bring  his  mallet  up  to  the  perpendicular  again, 
making  one  complete  circle,  he  will  avoid  an  error 
most  pernicious  in  its  results,  which  mars  the  play 
of  a  number  of  players — that  is,  carrying  the  stick 
at  any  angle  or  starting  the  stroke  with  the  head 
of  the  mallet  near  the  ground  which,  while  not  al- 
ways fatal,  is  inimical  to  good  hitting.  It  seems 
a  pity  that  any  player  should  ever  begin  polo  with- 
out learning  how  to  hold  his  mallet. 

These  notes  have  been  very  hastily  thrown  to- 
gether, without  much  regard  for  form,  and  I  have 
purposely  left  many  repetitions  in  the  text.  The 
same  thing  will  be  found  to  be  said  over  and  over 
again,  sometimes  under  one  head  and  sometimes 
under  another.  This  has  been  done  with  a  view  to 
emphasizing  the  more  important  things  and  showing 
that  they  are  important,  not  only  as  a  matter  of 
individual  play,  if  found  under  that  heading,  but 
also  as  a  matter  of  team  play,  if  found  there,  or  as 
a  detail  in  the  matter  of  hitting  or  horsemanship, 
if  found  under  the  chapters  dealing  with  those  sub- 
jects. 

Many   of   the   suggestions   herein   contained   are 


Introduction  ix 

things  which  I  have  personally  found  useful,  but  I 
can  not  tell  whether  or  not  they  are  accepted  by 
the  best  players.  Where  these  things  are  matters 
of  personal  development,  and  such  as  not  learned 
from  masters  of  polo  or  found  in  their  books,  I  have 
adopted  the  device  of  saying  "I  am  accustomed" 
to  do  this  or  that.  I  do  this  to  avoid  laying  down 
the  law  or  using  the  didactic  form  of  saying  that 
these  things  should  be  done  thus  or  so.  It  is  i)Os- 
sible  that  some  players  who  have  had  difficulties 
may  find  that  some  of  these  methods  will  help  them. 
If  I  am  wrong,  and  if  players  know  better  ways  of 
accomplishing  these  things,  I  present  my  apologies. 

I  am  not  in  any  way  offering  this  book  as  a  guide 
to  players  who  have  already  achieved  high  rank, 
because  I  have  never  myself  held  a  high  rating  as 
a  polo  player,  nor  could  I  hold  my  own  in  really 
fast  play.  I  believe,  however,  that  these  suggestions 
will  enable  beginners  and  players  who  have  not 
had  the  opportunity  of  playing  on  or  against  very 
well-trained  teams  to  avoid  many  of  the  faults  to 
which  beginners  are  liable  and  to  put  themselves 
in  position  so  that  when  they  have  passed  the  earlier 
stages  they  will  have  less  to  unlearn  and  be  in 
position  to  advance  very  much  more  rapidly  under 
worthier  instructors. 

This  book  is  written  in  the  hope  that  it  will  prove 
useful  to  polo. 

W.  C.  F. 


AS   TO  POLO 


CHAPTER  I 
THE  GAME 


Polo  is  a  most  difficult  game  to  learn.  There  are  Three  cardinal 
three  cardinal  things,  each  of  which  must  be  so  elements  of 
learned  as  to  be  nearly  habitual  before  the  player  ^^  ^' 
can  hope  for  excellence.  The  first  of  these  is  horse- 
manship ;  the  second,  hitting ;  tlie  third,  the  strategy 
of  team  play.  There  are  many  variables  that  come 
into  the  game:  there  is  the  personal  equation  of 
the  men;  and  there  are  the  characteristics  of  the 
different  sorts  of  horses  belonging  to  the  ditferent 
players,  each  horse  having  its  direct  eft'ect  upon  the 
play.  The  attention  of  the  player  must  sometimes 
be  directed  to  his  horse,  sometimes  to  his  individual 
play,  and  sometimes  to  the  team  work.  He  should 
strive  to  make  a  reasonable  excellence  in  all  three 
of  these  so  nearly  habitual  as  to  be  able  to  direct 
his  attention  upon  one  which  is  presenting  unusual 
difficulties  without  letting  the  others  go  entirely' 
by  the  board. 

Where  ten   or  eleven   men  are  banded   together  Regularity  of 
to  play  polo  on  certain  afternoons  of  the  week  it  is  attendance  of 
necessary  for  everyone  to  be  present  in  order  to  all  players 
make  up  a  game.    Polo  enthusiasts  should  refuse  to 
allow  their  business  or  pleasure  to  interfere  with 
polo  afternoons.     They  should   make  these  sacred 

1 


As  TO  Polo 


to  polo.  It  is  not  fair  to  tlie  other  players  who  are 
maintaining  ponies  and  expecting  a  game  to  have 
them  lose  their  day  of  sport  because  one  of  the 
number  happens  to  want  to  do  something  else  for 
the  afternoon. 

The  saddling  and  getting  ready  the  horses,  the 
fixed  day,  the  fact  that  polo  is  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  that  people  will  drive  for  long  distances  to  see 
the  practice  in  the  afternoon  make  polo  practice 
such  an  event  as  is  the  practice  of  no  other  game. 
The  assurance  of  regularity  in  taking  exercise  is 
very  advantageous  to  busy  men  whose  work  may 
be  so  absorbing  and  the  demands  on  whose  time 
may  be  so  exacting  as  to  cause  them  continually  to 
neglect  to  fulfill  engagements  for  other  games  more 
easily  put  off,  as  golf,  tennis,  or  other  sports,  where 
it  is  more  easy  to  fill  up  numbers  in  case  of  delin- 
quencies. For  a  busy  man,  directing  large  enter- 
prises, I  recommend  polo  as  the  surest  way  of  keep- 
ing in  trim. 

It  is  true  that  polo  is  a  dangerous  game.  It  is, 
Danger  of  polo,  however,  much  more  dangerous  for  beginners  than 
for  experts,  and  I  see  no  necessity  for  jjlayers  doing 
reckless  riding,  nor  is  there  any  possible  excuse  for 
foul  riding.  The  first  care  of  every  player  should 
be  to  make  the  game  absolutely  safe  by  avoiding 
committing  fouls,  which  are  usually,  per  se,  dan- 
gerous riding. 

After  watching  a  number  of  inexperienced  men 
trying  to  play  polo,  I  prepared  a  number  of  sug- 
gestions— or  one  might  almost  say  axioms— for  polo, 
which  I  wish  that  every  beginner  could  be  com- 
pelled to  commit  to  memory  before  he  took  his 
place  on  the  polo  field. 

These  are  as  follows : 


Polo 

recommended 
for  Inisy  people 


Avoiding 
danger. 


The  Game  3 

It  is  bad  polo — 

1.  To  take  the  ball  round  the  field  except  when 
saving  goal. 

2.  To  knock  out  or  over. 

3.  To  hit  long  strokes  toward  the  sides  in  the 
offensive  half  of  the  field  or  hit  into  the  offensive 
corners. 

4.  To  try  for  goal  from  too  great  a  distance  or 
from  too  sharp  an  angle.     Play  approach  shots. 

5.  For  two  of  one  side  to  ride  for  the  ball  at  the 
same  time.    This  is  an  inexcusable  blunder. 

6.  For  two  of  one  side  to  ride  out  the  same  oppo- 
nent. 

7.  For  two  of  one  side  to  gallop  parallel  to  each 
other.  Either  one  or  both  are  inexcusably  out  of 
place. 

8.  For  any  player  to  keep  his  pony  galloping 
parallel  to  the  ball. 

9.  To  support  your  own  man  from  too  close. 

10.  To  let  3'our  corresponding  opponent,  when   Fig.  25. 
in  position,  ride  clear. 

11.  To  carry  your  stick  anywhere  but  in  the  per- 
pendicular. 

12.  To  back  the  ball  into  a  rush  of  oncoming 
ponies. 

13.  To  hit  the  ball  across  when  a  back  shot  will 
do. 

14.  To  call  ''Go  on"  when  you  mean  ''Leave  it." 

15.  To  ride  across  the  line  of  play  too  close  to 
oncoming  opponents. 

16.  To  knock  in  directly  in  front  of  goal. 

17.  To  play  for  your  opponent's  misses. 

IS.     To  leave  an  opponent  whom  you  have  cov-  Fig.  ii. 
ered  to  get  to  the  ball  when  it  was  last  hit  by  one 
of  your  side  who  is  clear  behind  you. 


4  As  TO  Polo 

Fig.  14.  11).     To  hit  to  an  opponent  who  is  clear. 

Figs.  1, 2.  20.     To  play  in  circles.    Play  up  and  down. 

21.     To  try  to  do  the  work  for  another  player 

of  your  side  who  is  in  position,  in  the  belief  that 

you  can  do  it  better. 

It  is  good  polo — 

Fig.  5.  1.     To  turn  your  horse  to  the  new  direction  be- 

fore reaching  the  ball  if  it  is  going  slow  or  standing 
still,  and  if  you  have  time. 

Fig.  12.  2.     To    call   "Turn"   or   some   equivalent   if   you 

back  the  ball  or  miss  it  and  it  changes  direction. 

Fig.  9.  3.     To  call  ''Go  on"  if  you  take  the  ball  along. 

4.  To  hustle  your  corresponding  opponent  even 
if  you  can't  reach  him. 

5.  To  reach  out  and  try  to  crook  your  opponent's 
mallet  when  he  is  hitting,  even  if  it  looks  as  though 
you  couldn't  reach  it. 

G.  AVhen  on  the  right  of  way  and  headed  to 
goal,  to  put  on  the  greatest  possible  speed  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment. 

7,     To  know  where  your  corresponding  opponent 
is  all  the  time,  and  play  so  as  to  cover  him. 
Figs.  16,  IS.  8.     To  hit  short  strokes  and  play  for  a  second 

chance  when  there  is  an  opponent  in  front  who  is 
clear. 

9.  To  maneuver  to  place  yourself  on  the  mallet 
or  right  side  of  your  corresponding  opponent. 

10.  To  say  the  same  thing  always  in  the  same 
way  in  calling  to  your  side. 

11.  To  make  the  line  of  play  straight  up  and 
down  the  field  except  when  defending  goal. 

12.  To  use  your  voice  constantly  to  tell  your  own 
side  what  is  going  on. 

Figs.  15.  IG.  i;>.     To  look  where  vou  are  sending  the  ball  be- 


The  Game  5 

fore  hitting  aud  avoid  putting  it  within  reach  of  an 
uncovered  opponent. 

14.  Always  to  wear  a  helmet  to  protect  the  head 
and  face  from  getting  hit  by  mallet  and  ball. 

15.  Not  to  leave  yonr  position  except  when  tak- 
ing out  an  opponent. 

IG.  To  let  the  ball  roll  over  your  back  line,  if 
it  will,  when  hit  by  an  opponent. 

17.  To  watch  the  eyes  of  jouv  corresponding 
opponent  and  maneuver  to  cover  or  leave  him  when 
he  is  watching  the  ball. 

It  is  bad  horsemanship — 

1.  To  jerk  your  pony's  mouth  at  the  moment 
of  hitting. 

2.  To  stop  the  pony  by  turning  him.     Pull  him  Fig.  21. 
up  and  turn  him  afterwards,  otherwise  you  ruin 

your  play  and  his  legs. 

3.  To  hit  the  pony  with  the  mallet. 

4.  To  gallop  when  a  chance  comes  to  j)ull  up 
and  wait. 

5.  To  use  a  sharper  bit  or  more  harness  than  a 
horse  absolutely  needs. 

6.  To  hold  yourself  in  tlie  saddle  with  the  reins. 

7.  To  ride  into  the  line  of  play  at  a  dangerous  Fig.  2. 
angle. 

8.  To  turn  to  get  into  the  line  of  play  from  too 
close  to  a  pony  that  is  riding  straight.  The  ponies 
may  trip. 

It  is  good  horsemanship — 

1.  To  use  the  voice  before  the  rein,  and  both 
sparingly. 

2.  To  sit  well  back  in  the  saddle  and  let  the  horse 
do  tlio  liustling. 


6  As  TO  Polo 

3.  To  bring  the  horse  up  almost  to  a  standstill 
before  turning  him  when  the  direction  of  the  play 
is  reversed. 

-i.  To  save  your  pony's  head  from  being  struck 
by  opponent's  stick  by  feuding  with  your  mallet. 

5.  To  save  jouv  pony  in  every  possible  way. 
Don't  gallop  an  unnecessary  inch. 

6.  To  stop  3'our  horse  by  the  alternating  system 
of  pull  and  let  go,  never  by  steady  pulling. 


Pertinent  generalities : 

1.  An  opponent's  stroke  spoiled  is  as  good  as  a 
stroke  made. 

2.  Match  play  is  the  best  school  for  polo. 

3.  In  case  of  doubt — 

No.  1  should  ride  to  his  man. 
No.  2  should  ride  for  the  ball. 
No.  4:  should  ride  for  the  goal  he  is  defend- 
ing. 

4.  If  you  lind  yourself  with  nothing  to  do,  ma- 
neuver to  cover  your  corresponding  opponent. 

5.  Anticipation  of  the  movement  of  the  play  is 
the  essence  of  success  in  polo. 

6.  Maneuver  so  as  to  keep  the  ball  in  sight  at  the 
moment  it  is  struck. 

7.  Begin   the   stroke   at   the   perpendicular   and 
complete  the  full  circle  with  one  even  swing. 

Fig.  6.  8.     In  every  play  know  where  the  corresponding 

opponent  is,  and  remember  that  if  you  are  not  to- 
gether, either  one  or  both  of  you  are  out  of  place. 

Fig.  24.  In  case  of  doubt,  assume  it  is  vourself. 


The  Game  7 

9.  To  t\iu\  position,  count  tlie  men  ahead  of  yon. 

If  tliere  are  two  more  opponents  tlian  of 
your  side,  ride  liard  to  catcli  up  witli  tlie  fur- 
ther one. 

If  there  is  one  more  opponent,  ride  to  him. 

If  there  are  equal  numbers,  ride  the  man 
beside  or  behind. 

If  there  are  more  of  your  side,  pull  up  and 
let  one  or  two  opponents,  as  the  case  may  be, 
pass  you. 

These  rules  do  not  apply  if  you  are  on  the 
ball  or  if  the  others  are  far  out  of  position. 

10.  Don't  lean  out  of  tlie  saddle  when  anyone 
whose  mallet  may  reach  you  is  swinging  at  the  ball 
in  your  neighborhood.  The  mallet  usually  swings 
up  and  down.  If  you  sit  straight  the  pony  will 
protect  you  from  below,  the  helmet  from  above. 

11.  Don't  ride  fast  toward  the  side  and  go  over 
the  boards  at  speed ;  pull  up  if  possible. 

12.  Use  the  mallet  and  arm  to  fend  against  tlie 
possible  blow  of  an  opponent's  stick  whipping  in 
from  the  side. 

13.  Whether  in  position  or  not,  the  man  nearest 
the  ball  must  take  it  rather  than  let  it  go  to  the 
other  side. 

11.  In  first-rate  polo  the  ball  will  be  traveling 
up  and  down  the  field  at  a  maximum  and  around 
and  across  the  field  at  a  minimum. 

15.  Remember  that  opponents  may  easily  be 
near  enough  to  crook  a  forward  stroke,  when  a  back 
stroke  can  be  made  without  interference.  The  back 
stroke  is  the  safest  for  defense. 


8  As  TO  Polo 

16.  Watch  and  make  sure  that  you  always  strike 
the  ball  with  the  center  of  the  mallet  head. 

17.  The  secret  of  hitting  far  is  beginning  the 
stroke  soon  enough  on  the  forward  strokes  and  late 
enough  on  the  back  strokes.  Added  distance  will  be 
given  in  all  strokes  by  sharp  use  of  the  wrist. 

18.  The  secret  of  team  play  is  to  cover  your  own 
position  so  thoroughly  that  any  adversity  will  be 
the  fault  of  the  other  man. 

19.  Good  players  will  try  to  hit  always  to  one  of 
their  own  side,  not  to  themselves. 

20.  In  good  teams  no  one  cares  who  hits  the 
goals. 

21.  Read  the  rules  at  least  once  a  year. 


CHAPTER  II 
THE  POLO  CLUB 

The  polo  club  has  to  conform  to  local  conditions, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  lay  down  any  rule  as  to  gen- 
eral characteristics,  as  in  some  places  the  club  is  a 
country  club  in  which  polo  is  an  incident,  interest- 
ing only  to  a  comparatively  small  portion  of  its 
members;  in  others,  the  polo  feature  is  the  whole 
thing.  I  shall,  however,  outline  what  I  consider  the 
ideal  combination.  This  is  a  small  club,  organized 
principally  for  the  purposes  of  polo,  with  a  rambling 
and  rustic  clubhouse,  situated  in  the  country  within 
easy  reach  of  a  number  of  men,  owners  of  large  es- 
tates in  the  neighborhood,  who  have  clubbed  together 
for  their  polo  and  other  sports.  There  should  be 
just  enough  members  from  some  neighboring  city 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  coming  out  and  living  at 
the  club  during  parts  of  the  summer  months 
to  give  a  homelike  feeling  to  the  club  and  a  club 
population,  which  it  would  not  get  were  it  to  depend 
on  people  having  neighboring  estates  and  living 
when  in  the  country  at  home.  People  from  the  city 
could  thus  keep  their  ponies  at  the  club,  which 
should  have  large  stables.  There  should  also  be  fa- 
cilities for  such  other  seasonable  sports  as  the  coun- 
try affords.  The  Meadow  Brook  Club  in  Long 
Island,  the  Myopia  and  the  Dedham  Country  and 
Polo  Clubs  of  Massachusetts  are  clubs  that  answer 
more  or  less  accurately  to  this  description. 

9 


10  As  TO  Polo 

Use  for  two  It  would  be  well  for  the  club  to  have  two  fields, 

fields.  and  I  have  always  fancied  the  idea  of  having  polo 

every  day.  Three  days  a  week  could  be  given  to 
the  men  with  more  than  three  ponies  and  the  desire 
for  fast  and  furious  play,  and  three  days  to  one  and 
two  pony  men,  to  encourage  b6ginners  and  players 
of  small  means,  or  men  who  like  exercise  and  do  not 
care  for  the  strenuous  work  that  comes  from  the 
fast  play  in  anticipation  of  matches,  thus  encourag- 
ing polo  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  In  this  way, 
when  tlie  first  team  was  ort'  playing  matches,  all 
players  would  be  able,  by  coming  on  the  odd  days, 
to  get  polo;  also  if  a  man  happened  to  be  away  on 
one  of  his  regular  polo  days  he  could  make  up  by 
coming  out  with  the  other  set  of  players  and  thus 
get  his  chance  to  play  and  not  lose  a  day  of  exercise 
and  sport. 
Hittmg  device.  Every  club  should  have  a  wooden  horse  set  in  the 
middle  of  a  room,  with  sides  that  slope  in  such  a 
way  that  a  ball  thrown  in  will  roll  toward  the  horse 
and  come  to  a  stop  within  hitting  reach  of  the 
mallet.  These  walls  slope  up  on  the  sides  and  end 
in  a  net  which  catches  the  ball  and  throws  it  back 
upon  the  sloping  floor.  A  man  by  sitting  on  this 
wooden  horse  can  concentrate  his  attention  upon 
the  stroke,  the  direction,  the  swing  and  speed  of 
hitting,  and  the  part  of  the  mallet  head  on  which 
the  ball  strikes,  without  having  to  think  of  a  lot  of 
other  matters  which  tend  to  distract  the  attention. 
In  the  Philippines  those  teams  that  used  the  wooden 
horse  regularly  came  out  much  the  best  in  the  tour- 
naments. 

The  club  should  have  a  comfortable  series  of 
rooms  in  which  the  mend)ers  could  dress,  each  with 
a  big  roomy  wardrobe  where  lie  could  keep  his  polo 
clothes. 


The  Polo  Club  11 

An  important  feature  of  a  successful  club  is,  Club  steward. 
however,  the  right  sort  of  steward.  P^ach  man's 
property  should  be  known  by  the  steward,  who  will 
take  personal  interest  in  seeing  that  everything  is 
in  ftlace.  AVhen  players  arrive  to  dress  for  polo 
each  man's  outfit  should  be  laid  out,  his  boots  prop- 
erly cleaned  and  properly  treed,  spurs  neatly  cleaned 
and  laid  by  the  boots,  white  trousers,  shirt,  belt, 
underclothes,  and  whip,  gloves,  wrist  straps,  helmet, 
etc.,  and  a  selection  of  mallets  on  the  rack  belonging 
to  him.  Those  mallets  which  have  twisted  or  weak- 
ened heads  or  are  damaged  in  any  other  way  should 
be  laid  on  the  floor  below  or  stuck  in  a  separate  cor- 
ner, so  that  by  no  chance  will  he  be  misled,  in  his 
hurry,  to  take  one  of  them.  I  recommend  that  each 
polo  player  have  a  blanket  ulster  made  with  which  Polo  ulster, 
to  cover  himself  after  play  and  on  the  way  to  his 
bath.  At  the  Dedham  Club  each  player  had  part  of 
a  large  chest  of  drawers,  which  are  best  made  with 
traveling  slides  at  the  side,  as  are  the  drawers  in 
card-catalogue  cases,  so  that  the  drawer  can  be 
pulled  out  its  full  length  without  dropping  down. 
This  enables  one  to  use  the  full  depth  of  the  drawer 
conveniently. 

On  the  players'  return  from  play  the  steward  Polodriuks. 
should  have  ready  for  each  o]ie  his  favorite  drink, 
as  they  will  have  a  raging  thirst;  and  no  drink  is 
more  grateful  than  that  which  first  quenches  the 
thirst  that  one  gets  on  the  polo  field.  I  have  found 
the  most  satisfactory  of  all  drinks  to  be  a  "shandy 
gaff,"  made  of  one  part  ale  and  two  parts  ginger 
ale.  Most  of  the  players  that  I  played  with  used  to 
take  ginger  ale,  flavored  with  a  whole  lemon  peel 
cut  spirally  from  the  lemon,  a  drink  which  is 
usuallv  known  as  a  ''horse's  neck."" 


12  As  TO  Polo 

I  consider  it  liiglily  inadvisable  to  take  strong 
drinks  to  qnench  the  thirst,  as  one  needs  a  lot  of 
liquid.  And  if  it  is  mixed  with  whiskey  or  other  in- 
toxicants, before  quenching  the  natural  polo  thirst 
one  gets  a  good  deal  of  alcohol  into  the  system. 
Baths  after  There  should  be  tubs  for  those  who  like  to  soak 

P^^y-  after  polo ;  there  should  also  be  a  room  with  a  num- 

ber of  showers,  so  that  men  need  not  be  kept  wait- 
ing for  their  baths.  These  showers  should  have 
both  hot  and  cold  water.  I  strongly  advise  taking 
a  hot  bath  after  polo.  Personally,  I  like  to  soak 
for  a  few  moments  in  a  tub  of  very  hot  water  until 
I  get  the  stiffness  out  and  get  supple  after  playing, 
cooling  off  then  with  a  cold  shower  or  a  plunge  in 
a  cold  tub  or  pool. 

In  arranging  for  the  bath  there  should  be  laid 
beside  the  chair  or  bed  on  which  each  player's 
clothes  are  laid  a  bath  towel,  and  each  man's  clothes 
should  be  laid  out  ready  for  use. 

I  used  to  have  men  trained  so  that  everything 
prepared  for  polo  was  just  as  a  matter  of  course 
and  without  orders.  All  ponies  fit  for  play  were 
brought  to  the  field,  with  their  respective  saddles 
and  bridles.  They  arrived  with  the  bunch  of  fifty 
or  sixty  ponies  composing  the  strings  of  all  the 
l^layers,  either  just  before  or  just  after  the  drag 
containing  the  players  themselves. 

After  polo  we  all  sat  down  and  had  a  polo  dinner, 
which  was  not  the  least  enjoyable  part  of  the  after- 
noon, the  crowd  breaking  up  early  or  late,  as  they 
liked. 
Rest  before  After  the  bath  or  after  dressing  for  dinner,   I 

eating.  think  it  especially  desirable  to  rest  for  a  few  min- 

utes, lying  down  flat  on  a  bed  or  couch  and  staying 
very  quiet  for  at  least  fifteen  minutes  before  eating. 


The  Polo  Club  13 

I  also  advise  against  drinking  cocktails  between 
the  play  and  dinner.  The  system  does  not  need  ex- 
citement or  stimulant ;  it  needs  rest.  While  I  doubt 
if  one  cocktail  does  any  harm,  to  take  several  or 
more  than  one  I  believe  to  be  injurious  to  polo  men 
who  want  to  be  in  condition  to  play  matches  and 
have  their  nerve  and  eye  in  the  best  possible  shape 
for  the  game. 

I  think,  whatever  the  club  may  be,  there  should  Polo 
be  a  committee  to  care  for  the  interests  of  polo,  to  Committee. 
be  known  as  the  Polo  Committee. 

This  committee  would  determine  such  matters  as  Duties, 
the  date  of  beginning  games  and  opening  the  sea- 
son and  closing  it,  and  such  other  matters  as  they 
may  not  have  delegated  to  the  captain.     While  the  Relation  of 
Polo  Committee  would  make  ground  rules,  tix  the  Polo  Committee 
hours  of  play,  the  terms  upon  which  the  field  could  ^"^  C'lPtam. 
be  used,  hours  in  which  it  could  be  practiced  upon 
other  than  the  hours  of  play,  and  all  matters  con- 
nected with  polo  memberships,  it  should  in  no  way 
undertake  to   interfere   with   the   captain   in   such 
matters  as  the  selection  of  the  team  or  the  con- 
duct of  the  play  of  the  team  in  nuitches,  or  of  any 
member  in  play,  except  in  so  far  as  the  general  rules 
of  the  club  are  concerned. 

Under  certain  circumstances  it  may  be  desirable  Polo 
to  have  a  polo  membership  to  carry  with  it  the  priv-  memberships, 
ileges  of  the  club  during  the  polo  season  only,  and  it 
should  not  be  perhaps  so  costly  as  a  regular  member- 
ship with  polo  privileges.  The  polo  privileges,  how- 
ever, whether  to  polo  or  to  regular  members,  slioiild 
carry  with  them  a  charge,  as  each  i)layer  shouhl  pay 
something  for  the  upkeep  of  the  field  and  the  expense 
of  maintaining  tlie  games.  As  a  rule  it  is  not  cus- 
tomarj"  to  charge  adnnssion  to  polo  games,  hence  the 


14  As  TO  Polo 

onl}^  source  of  revenue  for  maintaining  tlie  field 
comes  from  the  general  revenues  of  the  club  or  from 
the  pockets  of  the  polo  players.  The  expense  would 
vary  somewhat  with  the  number  of  players,  which 
either  makes  two  fields  necessary  or  increases  cor- 
respondingly the  cost  of  maintaining  one.  It  is 
doubtful  if  a  polo  field  can  be  maintained  without 
a  very  substantial  call  upon  the  pockets  of  all  the 
players,  except  in  the  instance  of  a  very  large  coun- 
try club  near  some  important  city  where  the  mem- 
bership is  so  large  that  the  proportionate  part  paid 
by  each  member  for  such  a  thing  as  maintaining  a 
polo  field  is  inconsiderable. 


CHAPTER   III 

FIELD.     PUXIES     AND     EQUIPMENT 

The  field  should  be  300  by  150  or  IGO  yards,  aud  Field:  its  size. 
the  immediate  surface  is  the  most  important  part. 
While  it  is  preferable  to  have  the  field  absolutely 
level,  different  parts  of  the  field  may  be  at  different  Levels, 
levels,  or  the  field  may  slope  slightly  from  side  to 
side,  or  from  end  to  end,  or  from  the  center  toward 
the  ends,  or  vice  versa,  without  spoiling  the  play, 
provided  that  the  ball  rolls  comparatively  true.    By 
this  I  mean  that  the  surface  of  the  field  should  be   Surface, 
smooth  enough  so  that  the  ball  will  roll  on  smoothly 
and  not   with  a  series  of  bounces   up  and   down. 
This  can  be  accomplished  only  by  having  the  right 
kind  of  turf  and  by  constant  care  in  putting  back 
the   torn   pieces    of   turf,    and    by   fairly    constant 
rolling. 

The  side  boards  should  be  of  three-quarters  or  Boards, 
inch  board,  10  inches  high,  supported  by  posts  set 
into  the  ground  on  the  outside  of  the  field.  Great 
care  should  be  taken  that  these  posts  have  beveled 
edges  and  no  nails  standing  out  which  could  catch 
a  horse's  leg  and  tear  the  skin  as  he  goes  against 
them. 

Although  not  contained  in  the  ordinary  book  on   ("urvedends 
polo,  I  consider  it  eminently  desirable  that  the  side   of  field. 
board  should  curve  in  toward  the  goal  post  at  the 
ends.     A  plan  which  I  have  adopted  in  laying  out 
polo  fields  is  to  cut  oft'  75  feet  from  each  side  on  the 
ends,  beginning  the  curve  1 50  feet  from  the  ends  and 

15 


16  As  TO  Polo 

curving  in  on  an  .easy  curve  to  the  goal  line.  This 
makes  the  field  800  feet  wide  on  the  goal  line,  in- 
stead of  450.  The  space  saved  cheapens  the  cost  of 
construction  and  maintenance  of  the  field  without 
in  any  way  hurting  the  game. 

Distance  back  There  should  be  at  least  80  feet  clear  back  of  the 

of  goals.  gQrji  posts,  and  a  back  board  18  inches  high,  painted 

dark,  so  that  balls  may  be  easily  recovered  when 
knocked  over  the  back  line.  This  back  board  should 
overlap  the  side  boards  a  few  feet,  and  the  ends 
might  very  i^roperly  be  curved  a  little  toward  the 
field  so  as  to  stop  balls  sent  through  at  an  angle. 

Goal  posts.  The  goal  posts  should  be  skeletons,  made  light  so  as 

not  to  damage  a  horse  b}^  reason  of  impact ;  ftapier- 
mache  or  some  wickerwork  covered  with  canvas  is 
good.  The  bottom  of  the  post  should  be  a  circle  of 
board,  which  should  stand  upon  a  base  of  the  same 
diameter,  set  into  the  ground  18  to  24  inches,  the 
top  of  the  base  being  immediateh'  level  with  the 
surface  of  the  ground;  in  this  a  hole  should  be 
bored.  The  goal  post  is  held  in  place  by  means  of  a 
wooden  pin,  which  sets  into  the  sunken  post  and 
also  into  the  circle  of  board  which  forms  the  bottom 
of  the  goal  post.  This  pin  holds  the  goal  post  in  place 
and  prevents  its  falling  over  when  touched  or  wlien 
blown  by  the  wind,  but  the  impact  of  a  horse  breaks 
the  pin  and  the  goal  post  falls  down.  It  can  be  set 
in  place  again  by  the  insertion  of  a  new  pin.  A  sup- 
j)ly  of  pins  should  always  be  on  hand  at  the  goal 
post  for  such  contingencies. 

Markings.  It  is  well  to  have  flags  placed  at  the  sides  of 

the  field  Mtj  feet  from  the  goal  line  so  that  the 
player  or  referee  can  inform  himself  by  sighting  as 
to  the  limit  of  closeness  the  ball  may  be  approached 
on  the  knock  in. 


Field,  Poxies  and  Equip:mext  IT 

A  white  line  should  be  placed  across  the  center  Saving  the 
of  the  tield  bnt  need  not  reach  from  side  to  side,  center  line. 
The  man  in  charge  of  practice  should  see  that  the 
teams  line  up  for  the  throw  in  at  different  times  in 
different  parts  of  the  center  line,  otherwise  one 
place  will  be  unduly  torn  up.  In  fact,  before 
matches  it  is  well  to  have  the  ball  thrown  in  for 
practice  to  one  side  of  the  center  line,  in  order  to 
leave  the  center  line  untorn  for  the  time  of  need.  It  Saving  the 
is  also  well  to  move  the  goal  posts  from  time  to  turf  about 
time,  setting  them  at  different  places,  especially  for  '^  **^^  ^^°^  ^' 
the  limbering-up  practice  before  polo,  as  they  re- 
ceive the  hardest  wear  and  tear  when  everybody  is 
trying  to  make  goals.  Players  are  apt  to  be  very 
inconsiderate,  and,  having  struck  a  goal,  immedi- 
ately endeavor  to  round  it  out  by  brilliantly  pull- 
ing up  their  horses  or  vent  their  displeasure  at  hav- 
ing missed  a  goal  by  jerking  them  up  almost  di- 
rectly in  front  of  the  post.  Pulling  the  horse  tip  in 
this  way  invariably  tears  up  the  field  and  players 
should  make  a  rule  to  let  the  horses  gallop  in  prac- 
tice until  over  the  back  line,  where  they  can  pull  up 
without  damaging  anything.  Captains  and  officers 
in  charge  of  the  play  should  call  the  attention  of 
the  players  to  the  occasional  necessity  of  saving  the 
field  in  this  way. 

The  field  should  be  subdrained  and  watered,  and   Drainage, 
the  best  results  are  obtained  if  a  gang  of  men  are 
ready  after  each  day's  practice  to  come  immediately 
out  on  the  field  and  repair  the  most  noticeable  scars 
where  j)onies  have  cut  the  turf. 

On  practice  days  the  plaj-ers  themselves  can  help 
out,  after  goals,  turning  over  with  their  mallets 
pieces  of  sod  which  have  been  torn  up  and  pushing 
them  back  into  place  as  they  ride  back  to  the  center 


IS 


As  TO  Polo 


Ponies. 


Beginners 
should  not 
train  their 
ponies. 


Docking 


Bandages  or 
hoots  on 
forelegs. 


of  the  field.  The  longer  roots  are  exposed  to  the  air 
the  less  likely  they  are  to  take  vigorous  hold  on 
being  replaced. 

I  shall  not  undertake  to  go  into  the  question  of 
the  selection  of  ponies  at  great  length.  I  like  to  see 
ponies  that  are  well  coupled  and  keep  their  feet 
well  under  them,  and  personally  I  sacrifice  speed  to 
handiness,  although  I  know  some  players  who  sac- 
rifice everything  to  speed.  I  never  begin  on  a  pom' 
that  is  hard-mouthed.  I  do  not  advise  beginners 
to  tr}^  to  teach  themselves  and  the  pony  to  play 
the  game  at  the  same  time.  They  can  do  much 
better  if  they  take  a  trained  pony  and  concentrate 
their  attention  on  themselves.  I  know  experienced 
pla3'ers  who  have  ruined  a  pony  or  two  ever}-  year 
through  inability  to  handle  them  properly,  usually 
on  account  of  hard  hands.  With  these  j)layers  polo 
ponies  habitually  go  wrong,  as  only  an  occasional 
liorse  is  found  that  they  can  manage.  Careful  play- 
ers with  light  hands  can  get  along  with  almost  any 
horse. 

I  consider  the  practice  of  docking  horses  to  be 
brutal  and  disgusting  in  the  extreme.  The  only 
good  excuse  which  I  have  ever  known  for  this  prac- 
tice is  an  argument  good  only  in  regard  to  polo 
ponies — that  is,  that  the  tail  occasionalh'  gets  in 
the  way  of  a  stroke;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that' it 
does  where  one  is  taking  a  full  stroke  and  turning 
on  the  ball  at  the  same  time.  This  can  be  obviated 
by  taking  a  half  stroke  when  turning  on  the  ball, 
so  that  there  is  no  need  of  ever  letting  the  tail  get 
in  the  way  of  a  stroke. 

The  pony  should  never  be  played  without  band- 
ages or  some  sort  of  boots  on  the  forelegs.  In 
Dedham    we   always   played    in    bandages,    and    so 


Field,  Ponies  and  Equidment  19 

skillful  were  the  grooms  that  almost  never  did  a 
bandage  become  loose.  With  less  skill  in  placing 
the  bandages  the}'  are  apt  to  become  a  menace, 
as  a  bandage  unrolling  can  throw  a  pony  in  such  a 
way  as  to  make  it  \ery  dangerous.  The  referee 
should  always  stop  the  play  instantly  when  he  sees 
a  bandage  beginning  to  become  unrolled. 

The  danger  of  too  much  pressure  on  the  tendons, 
by  reason  of  straps  around  felt  boots,  can  be  ob- 
viated by  having  elastics  on  the  straps  so  that  the 
straps  will  yield  to  th(^  movement  of  the  leg  and 
not  bind.  Playing  without  stout  felt  boots  or  plenty 
of  thickness  of  bandage  over  the  tendons  invites 
disaster.  Sooner  or  later  the  mallet  or  ball  will  hit 
these  tender  parts  in  a  way  that  will  ruin  the  horse. 

I  always  make  a   point  of  getting  my  ponies  of  Ponies  should 
the    same    height.      I    do    not    believe    in    changing  l»eofeveu 
lieights.     I  think  it  hurts  hitting.     If  one  changes   lif-^S"^. 
the  length  of  the  stick  it  changes  the  distance  of 
the  hand  from  the  ground,  which  is  unfortunate,  as 
the  eye  becomes  accustomed  to  a  certain  distance  and 
a  man  hits  better  with  the  fewest  possible  variables. 
In  purchasing  a  string  of  mounts  I  should  therefore, 
wherever  possible,  select  ponies  of  even  height. 

Equipment. — The  English  saddle  is  the  best  for  i<:iigiish  saddle 
polo.  I  do  not  believe  in  eitlier  the  Whitman  or  the  best. 
the  Mexican  saddle,  or  in  fact  in  any  saddle  where 
tlie  feet  are  kept  under  oue.  One  sits  too  low 
in  the  saddle  and  lacks  the  rise  which  one  gets 
from  the  English  saddle  in  order  to  turn  and  to  get 
the  nigh-side  forward  stroke. 

It   is    advisable   to    I)uy    a    comjtlete   new    set   of   Xew  girths 
girths,   stirrup  leathers,   and   bandages  every  year,   and  stirrup 
Do  not  trust  to  old  ones.     Also  the  saddles  should   I'^'i^Ji^'i'^  "^"^^'^^ 
be  thoroughlv  overhauled  each  vear  to  make  sure  " 


20  As  TO  Polo 

the  padding  has  not  got  packed  down  and  that  the 
girth  straps  have  not  got  old  and  untrustwortliy. 
Polo  is  dangerous  enough  anyway  without  taking 
chances,  and  the  wetting  and  drying  of  perspira- 
tion from  horse  and  man  which  the  saddle  gets 
three  times  a  week  in  polo  season  is  enough  to  rot 
the  strongest  sewing.  The  breaking  of  a  girth  or 
stirrup  leather  may  mean  a  loss  of  life,  and  it  is  an 
unjustifiable  risk  to  take. 

Bits.  '         I  use  many  varieties  of  bits  of  different  grades, 

from  a  rubber  snaffle,  which  always  has  a  steel  chain 
through  the  rubber,  to  the  Hanoverian  Pelham,  with 
the  long  bars  for  curb,  which  is  the  sharpest  bit  that 
I  use.  I  never  attempt  to  use  a  Mexican  bit  with  a 
high  port,  but  will  discuss  the  use  of  bits  under  the 
title  of  "Horsemanship."'  A  l\orse  should  have 
the  easiest  bit  that  he  will  play  well  under,  and 
as  soon  as  a  horse  plays  perfectly  under  a  sharp 
bit  he  should  be  given  one  less  sharp.  The  usual 
bit  that  tlie  average  horse  comes  to  is  a  Straight 
Bar  Pelham,  with  short  curb  bars,  the  bit  itself 
being  round  and  smooth  and  of  steel.  This  can 
be  eased,  in  cases  of  sore  mouth,  by  a  leather  cover, 
and,  if  the  lips  chafe,  by  leather  discs  set  next  to 
the   lips. 

Crane  believes  that  most  ponies  play  much  better 
with  a  port  varying  from  one-half  inch  to  two  inches 
in  height.    I  have  never  used  ports. 

Martingale.  Until  the  pom^  is  entirely  handy  he  should  have 

a  martingale.  I  have  no  use  for  a  running  martin- 
gale, as  it  disarranges  the  curb  and  snaffle  in  the 
hand,  bringing  the  snaffle  the  lower  of  the  two 
where  it  does  not  properly  belong ;  and  I  have  never 
seen  that  it  helped.  The  standing  martingale  an- 
swers ever}'  purpose,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  the  best. 


FiELD^  Ponies  and  Equipment  21 

As  the  poii}^  improves  in  play  the  martingale  should 
be  lengthened  gradually,  and  finally  done  away 
with  entirely,  on  a  good  many  horses,  on  the  gen- 
eral rule  that  the  less  harness  a  horse  is  encum- 
bered with  tlie  better. 

Some  horses  have  to  have  shoulder  straps  to  hold 
the  saddle  forward,  the  peculiar  shape  of  their  barrel 
making  it  impossible  to  tighten  the  girths  so  that 
in  the  course  of  play  the  saddle  won't  slip  back. 

The  pcrsoiKil  polo  outfit. — The  breeches  should  be  White  breeches, 
white  and  made  of  twilett,  which  lasts  well,  holds 
its  shape,  and  gives  excellent  protection  to  the  legs. 
The  boots  should  be  tan,  and  made  stiff  all  the  way  Boots, 
down,  so  as  to  protect  the  ankles  from  blows.  Black 
boots  should  not  be  used,  as  they  soil  the  clothes  of 
everybody  who  comes  in  contact  with  them. 

I  never  use  a  glove  on  my  right  or  mallet  hand.   Gloves. 
believing  that  I  have  better  control  of  the  stick  with 
the  bare  hand. 

Crane  says  that  a  soft  glove  and  tape  on  the 
handle  save  tired  forearm  and  prevent  cramps.  I 
have  never  used  either,  but  have  been  troubled  from 
time  to  time  with  cramps,  and  should  recommend 
such  equipment  for  those  who  need  it. 

On  the  left  hand  I  wear  a  glove  until  the  fingers 
are  tough  enough  not  to  be  blistered  by  action  of 
the  reins.  Soft  chamois  gloves  are  the  best.  Some 
prefer  white  cloth  gloves,  and  these  are  probably 
better  in  rainy  weather,  although  as  a  rule  one  does 
not  play  polo  when  it  rains.  All  players  should 
make  a  rule  to  have  one  glove  always  at  the  field. 
By  turning  a  glove  inside  out  it  can  be  used  on  the 
other  hand. 

Players   should   always   wear   polo   helmets.     To  Helmets, 
plaj'  without  one  is  to  play  in  immediate  danger 


As  TO  Polo 


Carry  whip 
and  spur. 


Whip. 


Polo  mallet. 


Selection. 


of  loss  of  life  or  of  an  eye,  and  is  an  nnjustifiable 
risk.  These  helmets  should  be  made  so  that  they 
protect  face  and  eyes  from  blows  in  front  and 
against  chance  blows  from  the  side. 

I  always  carry  both  whip  and  spur  on  all  ponies. 
I  use  spurs  that  stand  out  not  more  than  a  half  inch 
or  three-quarters  of  an  inch  from  the  heel,  so  that 
I  have  to  reach  for  the  pony  in  order  to  spur  him. 
I  recommend  this  for  all  but  extremely  tall  players, 
as  a  precaution  against  spurring  the  horse  uninten- 
tionally. If  there  are  rowels,  they  should  be  filed 
and  blunted  so  as  not  to  cut  or  tear  him  when 
striking. 

I  have  found  the  most  satisfactory  whip  to  be  a 
whip  about  3I/2  or  4  feet  long,  a  sharp  cutting  whip 
made  very  limber,  with  a  horn  button  about  two 
inches  wide,  flat  on  the  side  toward  the  hand.  An 
ordinary  driving  whip,  cut  otf  the  proper  length  and 
fitted  with  a  button,  answers  the  purpose  admirably. 
This  whip,  carried  between  the  reins  and  the  left 
hand,  will  almost  never  get  away  and  does  not 
need  to  be  strapped  to  the  hand.  I  drop  one  barely 
once  a  year.  The  length  of  the  whi])  gives  the  advan- 
tage of  being  able  to  hit  the  pou}'  without  losing 
hold  on  the  reins,  as  the  turn  of  the  wrist  while  the 
hand  is  well  forward  will  still  reach  his  quarters. 

The  polo  mallet  can  be  conveniently  described 
as  being  composed  of  three  parts — the  head,  the 
handle,  and  the  stick,  the  stick  being  that  part  to 
which  the  handle  and  the  head  are  attached. 

Sticks  should  be  very  carefully  selected  and  care- 
fully used.  The  principal  thing  to  avoid  is  buying 
sticks  which  are  whippy  toward  the  handle.  This 
is  a  most  common  defect,  and  I  find  it  ruins  any 
stick  for  me.     Personally,  I  always  use  a  good  stiff 


Field,  Ponies  and  Equipment  23 

stick,  the  whole  weight  of  the  mallet  being  from  15 
ounces  to  1  pound ;  however,  the  weight  of  the  mal- 
let is  a  good  deal  a  matter  of  preference.  In  gen- 
eral I  believe  the  back  should  have  a  heavy  stick 
for  distance,  and  No.  2  a  light  one  for  quickness. 
In  j)urchasing  mallets,  care  should  be  taken  to  get 
absolutely  straight  sticks  and  to  see  that  the  angle  Angle  of  head 
of  the  head  to  the  stick  is  always  the  same.  To  ^*'  stick. 
measure  this,  a  model  angle  can  be  marked  some- 
where on  the  wall  and  every  stick  verified  so  as 
to  preclude  the  possibility  of  variation  in  this  im- 
portant particular. 

It  has  been  my  experience  that  flat  sides  to  the 
handle  are  far  preferable  to  round  handles.  Flat 
sides  parallel  to  the  head  enable  one  to  tell  by  the 
feel  of  the  handle  when  the  mallet  is  swinging  true, 
a  distinct  advantage,  as  the  eyes  are  needed  for 
watching  the  ball. 

When  a  stick  is  secured  that  suits  perfectly,  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  weigh  it  carefully  and  register  the 
weight,  and  then  balance  it  and  register  the  point 
at  which  it  balances.  If  in  selecting  new  sticks 
care  be  used  to  approximate  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  weight  and  balance  of  the  stick  that  has  j)roved 
to  be  the  best,  one  variable  element  will  be  elimi- 
nated, or  at  least  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

The  place  where  a  mallet  begins  to  weaken  first 
is  usually  that  part  of  the  stick  just  above  where  it 
is  inserted  into  the  head.  The  reason  that  the 
stick  goes  out  at  this  point  is  that  the  ball  when 
struck  is  likely  either  to  be  bouncing  up  so  as  to 
hit  the  stick  just  above  the  head,  or  perhaps  the 
mallet  is  swinging  a  little  bit  low,  bringing  the 
round  of  the  ball  against  the  stick.  These  sticks 
are  of  malacca  or  bamboo,  and  have  an  outer  sliell 


24  As  TO  Polo 

which  cracks  in  perpendicular  slits.  Once  the  shell 
has  cracked  the  stick  loses  its  strength  and  the 
head  begins  to  twist.  There  are  two  ways  of  rein- 
Reinforce  forcing  the  winding.  The  first  one,  and  one  which 
the  winding.  all  players  should  insist  on,  is  by  reinforcing  the 
stick  at  the  point  just  above  the  head  with  a  little 
strip  of  metal,  preferably  steel,  curved  so  as  to  fit 
the  curve  of  the  stick  and  placed  under  the  winding, 
which  is  also  used  for  the  same  purpose,  namely, 
protection  of  the  stick  at  that  point.  Two  such 
metal  strips  should  be  provided  for  each  stick,  one 
to  catch  the  front  strokes  and  the  other  to  catch  the 
back  strokes.  The  strips  should  go  about  one-fourth 
around  the  stick  and  should  extend  about  3  inches 
above  the  head.  The  other  way  of  protecting  the 
stick  is  to  wind  it  with  rubber  bands;  in  fact,  some 
players  have  rubber  bands  made  for  the  purpose — 
small  circles  of  round  rubber,  of  which  they  place 
from  three  to  six  at  intervals  around  the  stick  over 
the  winding  and  immediately  above  the  head  to 
catch  the  impact  of  the  ball.  Many  players  use 
both  of  these  devices. 


CHAPTER  IV 

RULES 

The  rules  that  govern  polo  are  simple  and,  ex-  Read  the  rules 
cept  for  some  very  few  but  important  aspects,  not  (Juce  each  year, 
difficult  to  understand  and  master.  All  players 
should  master  the  rules  when  they  first  learn  to 
play  and  should  read  them  carefully  once  a  year 
in  order  to  keep  them  fresh  in  the  memory.  It 
would  be  wise  for  the  captain  of  a  team  to  read  over 
the  rules  with  his  team  before  all  important 
matches. 

No  rules  are  perfect.    The  rules  of  the  American 
Polo  Association,  in  the  main  adequate,  leave  a  few 
ambiguities    which    I    consider    unfortunate.      The 
most  important  rules  are  those  which  relate  to  dan-  Dangerous 
gerous  riding.    As  careful  observance  of  these  rules   I'itiiu.?- 
is  likely  to  be  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  players 
at  any  minute,  and  may  also  change  the  result  of 
a  match  by  directly  affecting  the  score,  the  supreme 
necessity  of  absolute  clearness  in  the  presentation 
and  general  understanding  of  the  rules  need  not  be 
further  argued.     In  this  most  important  particular 
the  American  rules  are  unsatisfactory.     For  exam- 
ple, under  the  American  rules  as  now  written  it  Ambiguity  of 
is  not  clear  which  has  the  right  of  way,  a  man  who  Americau  rule, 
has 'last  hit  the  ball  and  has  swung  somewhat  be- 
fore reaching  it  for  his  second  stroke,  or  another 
player  following  more  directly  along  the  line  the 
ball  is  traveling.    The  rule  says  one  or  the  other  has 
tlie  right  of  way  and  doesn't  say  which.     (See  Polo 

25 


2G 


As  TO  Polo 


Right  of  way 
after  hitting 
ball. 


Offenses  should 
be  classified 
and  penalized 
differently. 


Infliction  of 
penalty  should 
be  made 
mandatory. 


Association  book  for  1918,  page  58,  27 A  Right  of 
Way.)  This  j)oiut  is  covered  in  a  ninch  more  defi- 
nite and  clear  manner  by  the  Indian  Polo  Associa- 
tion, which  provides  exj^licitly  that  the  man  wlio 
last  hit  the  ball  loses  the  possession  "if  he  shall 
have  deviated  from  pursuing  the  exact  course  of  the 
ball." 

Another  objection  to  the  American  rules  is  the  fact 
that  although  there  are  offenses  varying  in  serious- 
ness from  deliberately  riding  an  opponent  down  at 
speed  to  a  groom's  putting  his  foot  over  the  side 
board  in  handing  out  a  new  mallet,  or  a  player's 
appearing  on  the  field  with  too  sharp  spurs,  yet 
these  offenses  are  all  classified  alike,  called  fouls, 
and  are  liable  to  a  similar  penalty,  namely,  the  in- 
fliction of  a  half  goal.  It  is  true  that  the  referee  is 
given  the  right  also  to  suspend  a  player  for  the 
match  and  he  may  stop  the  game  and  throw  the  ball 
in  at  the  point  the  foul  occurred. 

It  seems  as  though  these  offenses  and  violations 
of  rules  ought  to  be  reclassified  and  the  penalties 
made  mandatory.  In  the  rules  adopted  by  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  Polo  Association,  fouls  are  classified 
as  dangerous  or  otherwise  and  lesser  offenses  are 
called  infractions  of  rules  and  not  classed  as  fouls. 
In  case  of  a  foul  which  in  the  opinion  of  the  referee 
is  deliberate  and  dangerous,  the  player  must  be 
suspended,  a  penalty  of  one  goal  assessed,  and,  if  in 
the  opinion  of  the  referee  the  play  was  affected  dis- 
advantageously  to  the  side  fouled,  the  referee  must 
stop  the  play  and  throw  in  the  ball  in  addition  to 
the  other  two  penalties.  This  takes  away  from  a 
player  any  inducement  deliberately  to  ride  down  a 
man  who  is  just  going  to  make  a  goal  in  order  to 
save  the  game  at  the  last  minute  of  play  by  accept- 


Rules  27 

ing  a  half  goal  penalty  in  place  of  the  goal  which  he 
knew  would  have  been  made.  I  believe  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  game  are  served  by  expressing  the 
referee's  duty  more  vigorously.  The  matter  is  not 
made  optional  with  him ;  he  is  obliged  to  do  it. 
Most  rules  empower  the  referee. 

I  give  the  Philippine  Islands  rules  on  these  points 
in  their  entirety. 

The  rules  and  diagrams  concerning  right  of  way 
and  defining  dangerous  riding  are  modeled  closely 
on  the  rules  of  the  Indian  Polo  Association,  and  in 
some  cases  taken  verbatim. 

FOULS 

IG.     A  foul  is  any  violation  of  Field  Rules  No.  IS    (de-    Philippine 
fining  dangerous  riding),  19    (in  regard  to  right  of  way),    Islands  rules 
20    (in   regard   to  players   meeting),  or  21    (illegal  use  of    about  fouls, 
mallet ) .    Except  in  extra  periods  played  on  account  of  a  tie 
fouls  will  be  penalized  as  follows : 

(a)  If   the   foul   is    of   such   nature   as,    in  the   opinion    Fouls  involving 
of    the    referee,    to    l)e    dangerous    to    the    life    of    man    or    danger. 
horse,    the    referee    shall    impose    a    penalty    of    one    goal. 

If  the  foul  is  not  of  such  nature  as,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  referee,  to  lie  dangerous  to  the  life  of  man  or  horse, 
the   referee   shall    impose   a   penalty   of   one   half  goal. 

(b)  If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  referee,  a  foul  involving   Deliberate 
danger  was   deliberate,   he   shall   suspend   the  player   com-   fouling, 
mitting  the  foul  for  the  match,  or  if,  in  his  opinion,  any 

player  for  any  reason  shows  himself  incapable  of  playing 
safely,  he  may  suspend  him ;  or  in  cases  of  repeated  com- 
mission of  fouls  not  involving  danger  or  of  repeated  viola- 
tion of  rules  after  attention  has  been  called  to  them,  the 
referee  may  suspend   the  player  for   the  match. 

(c)  If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  referee,  a  foul  shall  have  Stopping  the 
affected    the    play    disadvantageously    to    the    side    fouled,    play. 

he  shall  in  addition  to  other  penalties  stop  the  play  by 
sounding  a  whistle  and  shall  throw  the  ball  in  at  the 
point    where    it   was    when    the    foul    was   made 


28 


As  TO  Polo 


(d)  If,  in  the  opinion  of  the  referee,  a  foul  has  not 
affected  the  play  disadvantageously  to  the  side  fouled, 
he  shall  permit  the  game  to  continue  and  declare  the 
penalty  to  the  offending  player,  if  practicable,  and,  at 
the  end  of  the  period,  to  the  scorer. 


INFRACTIONS    OP   RULES 

17.  Infractions  of  General  Rules  3  (specification  of  balls 
and  mallets)  and  4  (qualitications  of  ponies)  and  of 
Field  Rule  No.  22  (covering  use  of  elbow  or  hand  in 
riding  off,  assistance  coming  on  to  field,  etc.)  do  not  consti- 
tute fouls  but  may  be  penalized  as  follows : 

(a)     The    referee    is    authorized    to    give    the    offending 
player   one   warning   before   assessing   any   penalty. 
Repeated  or  (t))     ^^'  however,  the  offense  seems  to  be  deliberate  or 

deliberate  aggravated    or    is    repeated,    the    referee    will,    in    his    dis- 

infractions  cretion   either    (1)    assess   a   penalty   of  one  half  goal,   or 

of  rules.  (-)    ill    ^^^^    ^^^    infraction    of    the    rules    shall    have,    in 

the  opinion  of  the  referee,  affected  the  play  disadvanta- 
geously  to  the  side  fouled,  the  referee  may  stop  the  play  and 
throw  in  the  ball.  But  in  cases  covered  by  this  rule  the 
referee  shall  not,  however,  both  stop  the  play  and  assess 
the  penalty  of  one  half  goal.  In  extra  periods  played 
on  account  of  a  tie,  as  provided  for  by  Field  Rule  No.  10, 
a  deliberate,  aggravated  or  repeated  infraction  of  rules 
will  be  penalized  as  provided  for  fouls  in  Field  Rule  No.  10. 
(c)  In  case  of  failure  to  appear  at  the  proper  time  or 
of  infraction  of  General  Rule  No.  9  (uniform  and  hat) 
or  of  Field  Rule  No.  6  (keeping  field  clear),  which  infrac- 
tion shall  not  have  affected  the  play,  the  referee  may  im- 
pose a  fine  of  ten  pesos  on  offending  player  or  players. 
Refusal  to  ^^^     ^^   ^^^^   ^^   refusal    of   either   team    to   play    after 

play.  having  been   ordered   to   by   the   referee,  the   referee   shall 

after   a   reasonable   time,   declare   the   game   forfeited   and 
award  it  to   the  opponents. 


DANGEROUS    RIDING 

IS.     Careless  or  dangerous  horsemanship  or  lack  of  con- 
sideration for  the  safety  of  others  is  forbidden. 


Rules  29 

The  following  are  examples  of  riding  prohibited   under 
this  rule : 

(a)  Bumping  at  an  angle  dangerous  to  a  player  or  his 
pony. 

(b)  Zig-zaggiug  in  front  of  another  player  riding  at  a 
gallop. 

(c)  Fulling  across  or  over  a  pony's  forelegs  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  risk  tripping  the  pony. 

A  ,.'-B- 

"^-^ "-•'X   o" 


Goal     _^  g 


-'-'''  Diagram  A 


-— -U>ed;  Diagram  B 

o       BacRCBlue)  ^-_ 

^^^ — ^ _ =,0 

■^^ — >. X_ 

No.l     (Red) 

Diagram  C  ...^^-^      ^ 


RIGHT    OP    WAY 


19.  (A)  A  player  may  ride  out  an  antagonist,  or  inter- 
pose his  pony  before  his  antagonist,  so  as  to  prevent  the 
latter  reaching  the  ball,  but  he  may  not  cross  another 
player  in  possession  of  the  ball,  except  at  such  a  distance 


30  As  TO  Polo 

that  the  said  player  shall  not  be  compelled  to  check  his 
pony  to  avoid  a  collision. 

(Example.) 

A  hits  the  ball  to  X. 

If  B  can  unquestionably  reach  the  ball  at  X,  without 
causing  A  to  check  to  avoid  a  collision,  then  B  is  entitled 
to  possession,   and  can  take  an  off-side  backhander  at  B\ 

But  if  there  is  reasonable  doubt,  then  it  is  B's  duty  to 
swerve  towards  B'  (the  line  of  the  ball),  and  take  a  near- 
side backhander,  and  if,  in  taking  that  backhander,  or 
afterwards,  his  pony  in  the  slightest  degree  crosses  the 
line  of  the  ball,  a  "foul"  should  be  given  against  him. 

(B)  If  two  players  are  riding  from  different  directions 
to  hit  the  ball,  and  a  collision  appears  probable,  then  the 
player  in  possession  of  the  ball  (that  is,  who  last  hit  the  ball, 
or  if  neither  have  hit  the  ball,  the  player  who  is  coming 
from  the  direction  from  which  the  ball  was  last  hit)  must 
be  given  way  to. 

(Example.) 

No.  2  (red),  in  possession  of  the  ball,  hits  to  X. 

All  three  players  ride  for  the  ball.  No.  1  (red),  riding 
off  the  back  (blue)  all  the  way,  and  a  collision  between 
the  three  is  imminent  at  X. 

No.  2   (red)  is  entitled  to  possession. 

A  dangerous  foul  should  be  given  against  No.  1  (red) 
either  if : 

(1) — No.  2  has  to  check  to  avoid  collision  with  the  back 
(blue),  caused  by  the  latter  being  forced  into  the  position 
shown,  by  the  riding  off  of  No.  1  (red)  ;  or,  (2) — Back 
(blue)  has  to  check  to  avoid  accident,  from  being  shut  in 
between  No.  2  (red),  and  No.  1  (red). 

(C)  Any  player  who  follows  the  exact  line  of  the  ball 
from  the  direction  from  which  it  has  been  last  hit,  is  in 
possession  of  the  ball  ratlier  than  any  player  coming  from 
any  other  direction. 

(Example.) 

B,  on  the  ball,  hits  to  X,  and,  being  on  a  fast  tearing  pony, 
swings  round  in  a  semi-circle.  A,  on  a  good  polo  pony,  is 
following  the  line  of  the  ball. 

At  A^  B^  a  collision  is  imminent. 


Rules  31 

AltlidUKli  B  hit  the  ball  last,  he  loses  possession,  because 
A  has  ridden  on  a  line  closer  and  more  nearly  parallel  to 
the  line  on  which  the  ball  has  been  traveling. 

A  is  entitled  to  possession  of  the  ball,  and  must  be  given 
way  to. 


Diagram  D 

A;.^^ •  Goal 

B>m-^ ^.U::--^-^-- A' 

^"'  B' 


\ 


B 


Diagram  F 

~~''^^  c 


AV       Goal 


(D)  The  last  hitter  is  in  possession;  provided  that  no 
other  player  can,  without  causing  the  hitter  to  check  his 
pony  to  avoid  a  collision,  get  on  the  line  of  the  ball  in  front 
of  him.  Under  these  circumstances  the  last  hitter  may  not 
ride  into  the  advei'sary  from  behind,  but  must,  if  necessary, 
take  the  ball  on  the  near  side  of  his  own  pony. 


32  As  TO  Polo 

B  hits  the  ball  to  X. 

A  rides  him  off  at  A^  B\ 

A  is  entitled  to  possession. 

(E)  No  player  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  possession  of 
the  ball  by  reason  of  his  being  the  last  hitter  if  he  shall 
have  deviated  from  pursuing  the  exact  course  of  the  ball. 

(F)  Any  player  who  rides  to  meet  the  ball  on  the 
exact  line  of  its  course  is  in  possession  rather  than  any 
other  player  riding  at  an  angle  from  any  direction. 

(Example.) 

A  hits  the  ball  out  from  behind  to  X. 

B  rides  to  meet  it,  and  C  to  take  it  on. 

A  collision  is  imminent  between  B  and  C  at  X. 

B  must  be  given  way  to,  because  he  is  on  the  line  on 
which  the  ball  traveled,  even  though  coming  in  an  opposite 
direction,  whereas  C  would  cross  that  line. 

(G)  Any  player  riding  from  the  direction  from  which 
the  ball  has  been  last  hit,  at  an  angle  to  its  course,  has 
possession  rather  than  any  player  riding  at  an  angle  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

(H)  If  two  players  are  riding  from  the  same  direction, 
that  player  is  in  possession  whose  course  is  at  the  smallest 
angle  to  the  line  of  the  ball. 

(I)  The  line  of  the  ball  is  the  line  of  its  course,  or  that 
line  produced  at  the  moment  any  question  arises. 

Note :  The  Bight  of  Way,  as  defined  in  the  previous 
rules,  shall  not  be  entered  upon  until  players  coming  down 
a  previous  right  of  way  have  had  a  chance  to  check  or  turn. 

Note :  "Where  the  ball  hits  the  side  boards  or  a  pony, 
the  direction  in  which  the  ball  was  last  hit  will  be  assumed 
to  be  the  course  of  the  ball. 

PLAYERS   MEETING 

20.  Whenever  two  players  are  riding  in  opposite  for  the 
ball,  each  shall  take  or  leave  the  ball  on  his  off  side. 

If  a  single  player  on  the  right  of  way  meets  two  or  more 
players  coming  down  the  right  of  way  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion trying  to  ride  one  another  off,  the  single  player  must 
give  way,  even  though  one  or  more  of  the  others  is  forced 
across  the  line  so  that  the  ball  is  on  his  left  side. 


Rt  LES  33 

21.  (a)  A  player  shall  not  intentionally  strike  an  ad- 
versary or  an  adversary's  pony  with  his  hands,  whip  or 
mallet,  nor  strike  the  ball  when  dismounted,  nor  hit  inten- 
tionally with  his  mallet  the  pony  he  is  riding. 

(b)  A  player  shall  not  crook  his  adversary's  mallet, 
Tinless  he  is  on  the  same  side  of  his  adversary's  pony  as 
the  ball,  or  in  direct  line  behind,  and  his  mallet  is  neither 
over  nor  in  under  his  adversary's  pony.  The  mallet  may 
not  be  crooked  unless  his  adversary  is  in  act  of  striking  at 
the  ball. 

(c)  A  player  shall  not  put  his  mallet  over  or  under 
his  adversary's  pony  either  in  front  or  behind,  or  across 
the  pony's  fore  legs  for  purpose  of  striking  at  the  ball,  or 
of  crooking  an  adversary's  mallet.  A  player,  however,  who 
rides  in  from  behind  on  an  adversary  who  is  in  the  act  of 
striking  at  the  ball  does  so  at  his  own  risk  and  may  not 
claim  a  foul  if  the  adversary  hits  across  or  in  front  of 
his  pony. 

As  regards  iufractioiis   of  rules,  in  which   class   Referee  may 
are  put  the  lesser  offenses,  such  as  pushing  with  the  ^'^'^■"• 
hand,  head,  or  elbow,  it  is  especially  provided  for 
the  referee  in  his  discretion  to  give  warning  before 
assessing  a   penalty.     He   can   stop   the  play  and 
throw  the  ball  in  if  he  thinks  the  game  has  been 
affected  unfavorably  to  the  side  offended,  but   he 
cannot  do  that  and  give  a  half  goal  penalty  as  well, 
as  he  must  do  in  cases  of  fouls.    This  seems  to  be  a 
fairer  way  of  making  the  penalty  less  severe  for 
minor  offenses.     No  referee  not  a  martinet  or  one 
looking  to  throw  the  game  to  one  side  or  the  other, 
would  think  of  giving  a  half  goal  because  a  groom 
put  his  foot  over  the  side  boards  in  passing  a  mallet 
to  a  player,  and  yet  under  the  American  rules  that  inadvisability 
could  be  done.    It  is  a  good  working  policy  to  make  of  too  severe 
the  penalties  reasonable  and  proportionate  to  the  Penalty. 
seriousness  of  the  offenses. 


34  As  TO  Polo 

Fiues.  Other  infractions  of  rules  not  affecting  the  result 

of  the  game  are  usually  penalized  by  fines,  such  as 
failure  to  play  in  uniform,  to  turn  up  on  time,  or 
playing  without  a  safety  helmet.  Kepeated  infrac- 
tions of  rules  can  be  handled  by  tlie  referee  either 
by  suspending  the  plaj^er  or  by  imposition  of  a  fine. 
Mnior  defect  of  There  are  certain  other  niceties  which  no  rules 
rules  regarding  quite  cover,  as,  for  example,  how  quickly  the  right 
right  of  way.  ^f  ^r^y  j^  established  along  a  new  line  of  play.  Let 
us  say  the  ball  is  going  across  field  and  followed 
closely  by  the  red  back.  Yellow  2  crosses  directly 
in  front  of  him  so  close  that  the  back  has  to  check 
his  pony  to  avoid  a  collision,  but  yellow  hits  the  ball 
before  the  back  checks  his  pony.  If  he  had  missed 
the  ball,  it  would  clearly  be  a  foul  because  the  right 
of  way  would  then  be  along  the  old  line.  If,  how- 
ever, he  has  hit  the  ball,  the  ball  taking  a  new  di- 
rection has  established  a  new  right  of  way  which  he 
is  occupying.  The  red  back  then  is  fouling  if  he 
doesn't  check  his  pony  and  avoid  the  collision.  It 
is  obvious  that  the  new  right  of  way  is  not  estab- 
lished instantly  because  the  red  back  must  have 
time  to  clear.  In  other  words,  the  yellow  player  has 
got  to  cross  far  enough  in  front  so  that  red  can  clear 
him  after  he  hits  the  ball.  But  there  is  nothing  in 
the  rules  that  prevents  the  curious  anomaly  that  a 
man  may  cross  another  so  close  that  with  a  tech- 
nical interpretation  of  the  rules  he  commits  a  foul 
if  he  misses  the  ball,  and  yet  doesn't  commit  a  foul 
if  he  hits  it,  owing  to  the  creation  of  the  new  right 
of  way  by  virtue  of  having  hit  the  ball.  I  think  this 
should  not  be.  It  would  make  for  safer  play  if  such 
crossing  were  not  allowed  and  the  rules  definitely 
prohibited  it.  And  I  think  most  referees  would  so 
interpret  the  ])resent  rules,    I  should. 


Rules  35 

Another  ainbigiiity  in  the  American  rules  as  they   Several  players 
stand   to-da}^   is   where   two   or   three   players   are  charging  dawn 
coming  together  down  an  old  line  of  play  and  the  '^^^^  "S^^*-  ^'^ 
ball  changes  direction,  being  backed  or  cut  across. 
Intelligent  self-interest  will  keep  most  players  from 
getting  in  front  of  a  group  of  onrushing  ponies  as 
it  is  often  physically  impossible  for  them  to  slow 
up  or  change  and  a  man  might  perfectly  well  be 
ridden  into  a  technical  foul  in  spite  of  his  best  ef- 
forts to  avoid  it.     There  should  be  a  distinct  pro- 
vision in  the  rules  (pialifying  the  technical  right  of 
way  by  inserting  a  clause  similar  to  that  provided 
in  the  rule  of  the  Philippine  Islands  Polo  Associa- 
tion quoted  in  full  above.     (See  first  note  at  end  of 
Rule  19,  P.  I.  P.  A.,  p.  32  ) 

Xothing  is  said  in  English,  American,  or  Indian  Curving  ends 
rules  about  curving  the  field.  A  field  that  is  curved  of  fl*?i<i- 
in  at  the  ends  so  as  to  cut  off  75  feet  on  each  side, 
or  150  feet  or  one-third  of  the  total  length  at  the  end 
of  the  field,  is  a  much  faster  field  to  play  on,  the 
dead  territory  is  reduced  in  an  important  measure, 
the  cost  of  the  field  to  build  and  to  maintain  is 
lessened,  and  the  play  improved.  In  describing  the 
field,  therefore,  it  seems  as  though  these  advan- 
tages might  be  indicated  by  including  some  pro- 
vision for  curving  in  the  ends  when  giving  the  di- 
mensions of  the  field. 

In  order  to  make  an  absolutely  uniform  and  clear  Official  signals. 
system  of  signals,  it  is  suggested  that  four  bells 
be  sounded  five  minutes  before  the  beginning  of  the 
game;  three  bells  sounded  two  minutes  before  the 
beginning  of  each  period,  excepting  the  intermis- 
sion, at  which  time  three  minutes  are  allowed;  two 
bells  sounded  thirty  seconds  before  the  beginning  of 
each  period :  and  one  bell  when  the  ball  is  put  into 


36 


As  TO  Polo 


Duties  of 
referee  should 
be  assembled. 


play.    This  leaves  room  for  no  doubt  on  tlie  part  of 
anyone  as  to  which  signal  is  being  rung. 

It  seems  as  though  rules  would  be  more  conven- 
ient if  the  duties  of  the  referee  are  set  forth  clearly 
in  one  i^aragraph.  A  referee  thus  can  run  his  eye 
down  the  line  of  duties  and  not  have  to  read  the 
rules  through  in  order  to  pick  out  those  things 
which  pertain  to  his  job.  This  was  accomplished 
in  the  Philippines  by  the  following  rule : 

It  shall  be  the  dvity  of  the  referee : 

A.  To  order  the  sounding  of  the  preliminary  signal  of 
four  bells  five  minutes  before  beginning  of  the  game. 

B.  Before  the  beginning  of  the  game  to  toss  up  a  coin" 
in  the  presence  of  the  field  captains  or  representatives  of 
both  teams  for  choice  of  sides. 

C.  To  throw  in  the  ball  at  the  beginning  of  the  game, 
at  the  beginning  of  each  period,  whenever  the  ball  goes  out 
of  bounds,  and  after  time  has  been  called  for  any  purpose. 

D.  To  carry  a  whistle  which  he  will  blow  to  indicate 
cessation  of  play,  either  by  reason  of  the  end  of  a  period, 
or  because  of  a  foul,  or  for  other  reasons,  and  at  the  be- 
ginning of  play  when  necessary  to  inform  the  time-keeper. 

E.  To  decide  at  what  point  the  ball  shall  have  gone  out 
or  over  and  to  see  that  the  ball  goes  in  at  the  proper  point, 
and  to  decide  whether  or  not  goals  or  safeties  have  been 
made. 

F.  To  enforce  rules  and  to  exact  penalties  for  infraction 
of  rules  and  for  fouls  as  provided  for  in  Field  Rules  Nos. 
10  and  17. 

G.  To  see  and  award  fouls ;  and,  in  case  fouls  are 
claimed,  to  judge  whether  or  not  they  have  been  committed. 
For  this  and  for  any  other  purpose  the  referee  is  authorized 
to  talce  evidence  from  the  players,  the  goal-judges,  the  timer 
or  scorer,  and  from  such  other  persons  as  he  may  see  fit. 


Widening  goal         The  rules  of  the  Indian  Polo  Association  have  a 

in  case  of  tie.       good  provision  calculated  to  save  the  strain  on  men 

and  ponies  of  a  protracted  play  overtime  in  case  of 


Rules  37 

a  tie,  that  after  the  first  extra  period  the  goal  posts 
shall  be  placed  48  feet  apart  instead  of  24,  thus 
making  it  much  easier  to  score.  With  the  same 
object  in  view,  the  Philippine  Islands  Polo  Asso- 
ciation, adopted  the  following  rule : 

9.     At  the  end  of  six  minutes  of  play  the  timer's  signal    Device  to 
shall  be   sounded  and   play   shall  cease   unless  the  ball  is    reduce 
within   fifty  feet  of  either  back  line,   in  which  case  play    overtime  play, 
shall  continue  until  the  ball  goes  out  of  bounds  by  being 
knocked  over  the  back  line  or  over  the  side  boards,  or  until 
it  is  knocked  over  the  fifty-foot  line  toward  the  center  of 
the  field,  or  until  a  goal  is  made. 

If  a  period  ends  by  a  l)all  being  knocked  over  the  fifty- 
foot  line  toward  the  center  of  the  field  .  .  .  play  will  be  re- 
sumed at  the  beginning  of  the  next  period  by  the  ball  being 
thrown  in  towards  the  side  boards  at  the  fifty -foot  line. 

Players  should  study  so  as  to  understand  the  Crooking, 
limitations  in  regard  to  crooking  mallets.  New 
players  find  difficulty  in  doing  this  scientifically, 
and  I  have  seen  players  who  felt  that  they  could 
not  crook  on  the  nigh  side  of  their  pony  because  it 
was  putting  their  mallet  across  a  pony.  The  rule 
is  that  the  mallet  shall  not  be  j)laced  across  an 
opponent's  ponj^  to  crook  the  stick  when  the  ball  is 
on  the  other  side  of  the  opponent's  pony  from  the 
player;  in  fact,  the  player  must  be  either  on  the 
same  side  of  the  pony  of  the  opponent  whose  mallet 
he  is  crooking,  as  the  ball,  or  in  a  direct  line  before 
or  behind  him. 

One  of  the  rules  most  frequently  violated  is  that  Use  of  elbow, 
which  prohibits  the  use  of  the  elbow  in  riding  out. 
Many  beginners,  particularly  if  they  have  been  foot- 
ball men  in  the  past,  and  a  good  many  older  players 
who  should  know  better,  keep  jabbing  with  the 
elbow.     The  rule  provides  that  riding  otf  shall  be 


38  As  TO  Polo 

done  only  with  the  arm  kept  close  at  the  side  and 
that  the  i^nshing  be  done  entirely  with  the  shoulder 
and  the  outside  of  the  arm,  and  not  with  the  point 
of  the  elbow.  Keferees  should  be  verj'  particular  to 
warn  players  against  this  practice  and  should  not 
hesitate  to  award  the  penalty  provided  in  the  rules. 


CHAPTER  y 

HORSEMANSHIP 

The  nitinageiiieiit  of  the  horse  is  a  most  important 
element  in  polo.     A  good  horseman  does  not  neces- 
sarily make  a  good  player,  but  a  man  who  is  not  a 
good  horseman  is  very  seriously  handicapped  in  his 
ett'ort  to  become  a  good  polo  player,  very  much  as  is 
a  lame  man  in  the  matter  of  running  races.     The 
first  thing  to  get  is  a  seat.     When  I  was  a  boy  I 
made  a  point  of  coming  in  from  my  ride  every  day 
with   my   gTii)ping   muscles   tired    to    the   point   of  Gripping 
aching,    and    1    recommend   this   practice    to    every  mnscles. 
horseman.     It  gives  one  an  unconscious  seat,    \yhen- 
I  began  riding,   I  was  told  by  my  preceptor  that 
a  man  should  always  turn  his  toes  in  so  as  never 
to     give     the     appearance     of     riding     with     his   Seat. 
toes    pointed    diagonalh'    away    from    the    horse. 
I   gradually   came   to   ac(pnre   tliis   way   of   riding, 
and    it    was    not    to    be  accomplished    by    bending 
the    ankles    in    such    way    as    to    make    the    toes  Position  of 
point   forward,   but   it   lay   in   the   position    of   the  ^^*^*^- 
muscles  of  the  thigh.     When  a  man  takes  a  seat  in 
the  saddle  he  should  move  himself  just  a  little  for- 
ward so  as  to  throw  the  fleshy  muscles  of  the  thigh 
outward  and  backward  and  place  in  direct  contact 
with  the  saddle  the  inside  of  the  leg  from  the  knee 
bones  U]).     Having  |)laced  liimself  thus,  he  will  find 
that  automatically  his  feet  now  hang  so  as  to  throw 
them  directly  forward,  and  that  in  order  to  get  them 
out  of  this  ])<)sition  it  is  necessary  to  turn  the  ankles 

39 


40  As  TO  Polo 

ill  an  awkward  position  outward  or  to  let  tlie  upper 
part  of  his  leg  assume  a  different  position  in  con- 
nection  with   the   saddle   and   ride   gripping   with 
the  back  of  the  leg  rather  than  the  inside  of  it. 
►Stirrups,  Having  set  himself  in  his  seat,  the  i)layer  should 

length  of.  next  look  to  his  stirrups,  which,  in  my  judgment, 

should  be  of  medium  length,  short  enough  so  that 
he  can  stand  up  entirely  clear  of  the  saddle  and 
turn  around,  so  that  in  making  the  nigh-side  for- 
ward stroke  his  right  shoulder  may  be  about  over 
the  ball  on  the  left-hand  side  of  his  horse. 

He  should  endeavor  to  acquire  a  position  sitting 
quietly,  well  back  in  the  saddle,  with  the  feet  well 
forward,  and  letting  the  horse  do  the  speeding.  He 
Do  not  lean.  should  not  habitually  stand  up  or  lean  forward,  but 
by  sitting  right  down  in  the  saddle  eliminate  the 
greatest  number  of  possible  variations  in  the  dis- 
tance from  the  hand  to  the  ground  when  hitting. 

My  cousin,  Allan  Forbes,  is  of  the  opinion  that 
men  should  hit  leaning  forward,  as  he  considers 
that  in  this  way  they  get  better  direction  and  more 
distance  to  the  stroke.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  when  it  is  desired  to  hit  the  ball  across  in 
front  of  the  pony  it  is  necessary  to  lean  forward; 
but  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  having  the  seat  pushed 
well  back  toward  the  after  end  of  the  saddle,  and 
not  varying  the  distance  to  the  ground,  as  is  done  by 
leaning  forward  or  standing  up  in  the  stirrups  in 
making  a  stroke,  excepting  always  for  the  nigh-side 
work,  when  it  is  necessary. 

Avoid,  as  much  as  possible,  hitting  under  the 
ponj-'s  belly,  as  the  stick  or  the  ball  is  too  likely  to 
hit  the  pony's  legs,  and  either  of  them  may  damage 
the  pony. 

The  following  remarks  appl}'  oiily  to  horses  which 


Horsemanship  41 

have  been  thoroughly  trained  to  the  saddle  and  are 
well  bitted.  I  do  not  undertake  to  give  directions 
for  the  earlier  instruction  of  a  horse  that  has  never 
learned  the  use  of  the  bit.  I  have  found  that  some 
men  who  understand  the  training  of  horses  have 
differed  with  my  theories  on  the  ground  that  be- 
ginning a  horse  with  a  sharp  bit  makes  him  afraid 
of  it  and  that  the  best  authorities  recommend  a 
light  bit  at  first.  To  these  I  answer  that  I  begin 
where  they  leave  off;  that  my  work  is  training  a 
pony  for  polo,  and  that  I  assume  that  he  is  already 
bridle- wise. 

In    training    ponies,    the    most    important    thing  Training 
is  to   get  them   interested   in   the   game   first   and  i5<J"ies- 
afterwards  develop  their  speed.    In  training  a  pony 
I  never  let  him  get  to  speed  until  I  have  got  him 
so  much  the  master  of  tlie  game  that  the  desire 
for  racing  will  not  exclude  the  interest  in  the  play. 

The  most  important  thing  in  handling  a  horse  Pnliiug. 
is  the  use  of  the  reins.  Many  riders  indulge  in  the 
practice,  so  pernicious  in  its  results  as  to  be  almost 
wicked,  of  holding  themselves  in  the  seat  with  the 
reins.  The}'  seem  to  think  that  reins  were  given 
to  them  by  a  Divine  Providence  to  steady  them- 
selves on  the  horse.  When  one  considers  that  the 
mouth  is  one  of  the  most  tender  parts  of  the  horse's 
anatomy,  and  with  well-trained  horses^  the  least 
touch  can  produce  the  desired  result,  it  is  nothing 
short  of  brutal  to  blunt  this  fine  sense  of  the  horse 
by  misuse.  New  players  should  get  horses  to  learn 
on  that  have  extremely  tender  mouths  and  so  little 
desire  to  run  that  they  can  be  played  with  an  abso- 
lutely loose  rein.  If  they  can  not  get  such  a  horse 
I  should  recommend  putting  on  an  extremely  sharp 
bit,  at  least  sharp  enough  so  that  the  horse  will  not 


42  As  TO  Polo 

press  against  it  and  will  sto])  instantly  if  the  pres- 
sure is  put  on  too  sliarj)ly. 

Having  thus  got  a  horse  which  can  be  ridden 
with  a  loose  rein  or  by  a  series  of  the  lightest  kind 
of  touches,  they  should  then  acquire  their  seat  with- 
out ever  holding  on  or  assisting  themselves  in  the 
seat  by  pressure  on  the  reins.  It  is  my  positive 
belief  that  more  good  horses  and  more  good  polo 
ponies  are  ruined  by  this  fearful  habit  of  pulling 
than  by  all  the  rest  of  the  causes  put  together.  It 
takes  two  to  pull,  the  rider  and  the  horse.  If  the 
man  won't  pull,  the  horse  can't.  I  have  known 
superb  saddle  horses  that  were  almost  unmanage- 
able by  men  and  which  were  mild  as  kittens  with 
women.  The  reason  was  that  they  could  not  en- 
dure the  hard  hand  of  a  man  on  the  bit.  Had  they 
had  a  rider  with  sufticient  skill  to  indicate  to  them 
b}^  light  touches,  such  as  a  woman  must  give  owing 
to  the  lack  of  physical  strength  necessary  to  hurt 
the  mouth,  they  would  have  been  as  docile  as  they 
were  with  women. 
Suggestions  1   have  sometimes  thought  that  an  excellent  way 

t(» prevent  to  learn  how  to  press  lightly  on  the  rein  would  be 

imiiing.  ^Q  have  the  snaffle  rein  cut  and  tied  together  on 

each  side  by  bits  of  string,  which  would  break  as 
soon  as  the  pressure  exceeded  a  certain  reasonable 
amount,  like  a  lightning  arrester  which  fuses  as 
soon  as  the  current  gets  too  strong.  This  would 
automatically  prevent  a  man  from  falling  into  the 
crazy  habit  of  wrecking  his  lioi-se"s  moutli,  an<l  yet 
tliis  is  what  at  least  one-h;ilf  of  the  players  do  when 
beginning,  and  a  goo<l  many  of  them  do  through 
life.  I  have  known  players  with  wliom  all  gocfd  polo 
ponies  became  pullers,  and  at  the  end  of  each  year 
thev  found  it  necessarv  to  buv  new  ones  in  order 


HORSEMAXSHIP  43 

to  keei>  themselves  mounted.  I  attributed  this  tend- 
ency, in  many  instances,  to  the  phiyer's  poor 
seat. 

I  have  sometimes  wondered  why  a  little  machine  Suggestion  of 
has  not  been  invented  for  registering  the  pressure  machine  to 

on  the  mouth  of  the  horse  bv  ditferent  men.     It  ^^'^istei 

"     ^      .  ,  , ,       ijressure  on 

surely  would  not  be  a  difficult  device  to  have  the  ^.^j^j_. 

two  parts  of  the  rein  entering  a  machine,  connected 
by  means  of  a  spring  to  a  dial  which  would  register 
the  exact  maximum  pressure  exerted  by  the  rider. 
If  the  cold,  hard  fact  that  such-and-such  a  horseman 
managed  his  horse  with  a  pressure  indicated  by  the 
number  3  was  presented  to  another  horseman  who 
habitually  came  in  with  a  registration  of  7  or  9, 
he  would  begin  to  study  the  causes  for  this  phe- 
nomenon and  perhaps  correct  the  worst  fault  which 
a  horseman  can  have.  To  polo  men  especially  would 
I  recommend  the  study  of  this  very  vital  part  of 
horsemanship.  I  have  never  heard  of  any  such  de- 
vice as  this  having  been  attempted,,  so  that  it  is 
merely  a  suggestion  and  might  prove  in  practice  to 
have  none  of  the  value  that  I  imagine  it  would. 

The  function  of  a  rein  is  not  physically  to  stop  Use  of  reins. 
a  horse,  but  to  telegraph  to  him  the  desire  of  the 
rider.  Horses  should  be  trained  so  that  the  least 
touch  will  indicate  to  them  wliat  is  wanted  and  to 
obey  this  least  indication  as  soon  as  they  receive 
it.  That  the  rein  is  a  physical  means  of  stopping 
the  liorse  is  about  as  much  of  a  fallacy  as  that  the 
bootstraps  are  an  excellent  way  of  raising  oneself 
from  the  ground.  One  might  as  well  adopt  the 
equal  and  opposite  fallacy  tliat  the  stirrups  were 
an  advantageous  means  for  pushing  the  horse  ahead, 
as  all  force  used  in  pulling  on  the  reins  is  derived 
from  pressure  on  the  legs  and  feet  in  the  saddle  and 


44  As  TO  Polo 

stirrups,  so  that  by  completing  the  vicious  circle 
you  are  exerting  your  force  to  push  the  horse  ahead 
in  order  to  stop  him.  The  fact  is,  of  course,  that 
the  horse  wants  an  indication  of  the  desire  of  the 
rider,  and  as  the  inertia  of  going  is  something  which 
he  does  not  like  to  change,  particularly  if  there  is 
another  horse  going  pretty  fast  right  alongside  of 
him,  the  signal  to  stop  must  sometimes  be  fairly 
forceful  to  make  the  horse  obey  it. 
Position  of  I  hold  my  reins  with  the  snaffle  on  either  side  of 

reins  in  liand.  ^j^g  little  finger  and  the  curb  on  either  side  of  the 
middle  finger,  thus  having  one  rein  outside  of  the  lit- 
tle finger  and  one  rein  in  between  each  of  the 
four  fingers.  As  the  hand  is  held  thumb  down,  it 
results  that  the  two  upper  reins  are  the  snaffle  and 
the  two  lower  reins  the  curb.  In  order  to  hold 
them  at  the  same  tension  I  can  place  my  thumb 
over  the  reins  and  by  pressing  and  gripping  the 
reins  with  the  hands  I  get  a  good  grip.  With  this 
arrangement  one  can  very  easily  adjust  the  reins 
by  gripping  the  four  reins  with  the  right  hand,  and 
by  slipping  the  whole  left  hand  forward  one  gets  a 
closer  grip  near  the  neck.  By  catching  the  upper 
part  of  the  reins  the  snaffle  is  shortened,  by  catch- 
ing the  lower  as  it  hangs  the  curb  is  shortened. 
The  snaffle  should  always  have  a  buckle  and  the 
curb  never,  so  that  in  reaching  for  the  snaffle  if  you 
feel  for  the  buckle  or  look  down  and  pick  it  out 
and  slip  one  finger  of  the  right  hand  tlirough  that 
you  can  be  sure  of  shortening  the  snaffle.  If  you 
look  for  the  sewed  end  and  slii)  a  finger  through 
that  or  catch  it  with  the  hand  to  pull  on,  you  can 
be  sure  3'ou  are  shortening  the  curb. 

I  have  adopted  the  following  general  methods  of 
signaling  my  horse  which  Imve  served  my  purpose: 


Horsemanship  45 

For   ordinary   play   the   hand    is    held   low    and  Position  of 
about  over  the  pommel  of  the  saddle.     The  pony  hand, 
understands  that  riding  with  the  hand  low  indi- 
cates slight  changes  of  direction  rather  than  a  sharp 
turn  or  turn  about.     When  I  want  speed  I  throw 
nn^  hand  forward,  giving  loose  rein  and  touching 
the  pony  on  the  neck  low  down.     The  whip,  which  Polo  whip, 
is  always  carried  in  the  left  hand,  as  I  have  ex- 
plained elsewhere,  is  about  four  feet  long  and  lim- 
ber.    I  use  it  on  the  shoulder  for  starting  the  pony 
and  on  the  quarters  for  extending  him.     I  use  the 
spur  for  steadying  him  as  he  approaches  the  ball  and  Use  of  spur. 
for  making  him  press  over  to  ride  against  another 
pony  and  for  getting  him  away  from  the  pony  when 
he  is  pressed  up  against  him.    I  also  use  it  to  start 
a  pony  quickly.    I  never  use  the  spur  for  speed.    To 
stop  the  pony,  instead  of  taking  hold  of  the  curb   Use  of  curb. 
rein,  I  find  it  infinitely  more  effective  to  raise  the 
hand.     This  changes  the  angle  of  pull.     A  pull  on 
the  snaffle,  which  should  always  be  a  light  one,  is 
merely  to  steady  the  horse  at  the  speed  at  which 
he  is  going  and  to  hold  him  on  the  ball. 

The  advantage  of  lifting  the  hand   is  that  the  Lifting  tlie 
pony  can  instantly  see  and  he  instautlj-  knows  that  hand. 
it  is  desired  to  change  the  play  and  stop.     Before 
putting  any  pressure  on  the  curb  the  voice  should 
always  be  used,  but  its  effect  should  not  be  spoiled 
by  an  agonized   "Hoh!   Hoh!   Hoh!"   such  as  you 
often  hear  players  galloping  down  the  field  address- 
ing their  ponies,  who  are  not  paying  the  slightest 
attention  to  it.     Give  one  good  sharp  ''Whoa  !"  and  Speak  to  the 
then  a  sharp  lift  on  the  curb,  the  body  being  thrown  pony. 
well  back  on  the  back  part  of  the  saddle,  so  as  to  put 
the  weight  on  the  quarters,  not  on  tlie  forelegs,  and 
then    loosen    the    rein    up    instantly    in    order    to 


46 


As  TO  Polo 


Don't  turn 
round  at 
speed. 

Fin.  21. 


To  turn 
rapidly. 


let  tlie  pony  get  his  head  free  and  stop  if  he  will.  If 
he  fails  to  stop,  a  second  sharp  pnll  on  the  curb, 
loosening  the  rein  immediately,  should  bring  him 
to  hand.  The  moment  he  has  stopped  the  reins 
should  be  thrown  immediately  loose  and  the  hand 
lowered. 

There  is  nothing  more  wicked  and  pernicious  in 
polo  than  turning  in  circles  at  speed,  and  yet  how 
many  players  will  do  it  I  Ponies  should  be  turned 
always  by  stoi)ping  them  in  their  tracks  and  then 
starting  them  again  on  the  new  course.  There  are 
occasions  in  polo  when  tlie  exigencies  of  the  game 
recpiire  turning  at  speed,  as  in  following  the  ball 
around,  but  these  are  so  few,  compared  to  the  cases 
when  ponies  should  stop  and  turn,  and  are  more 
apt  to  occur  in  playing  against  poor  players  than 
against  good,  that  all  players  should  first  train 
their  ponies  to  stop  and  turn  and  afterwards  use 
them  for  whatever  turning  in  circles  may  be  neces- 
sary, because  the  ability  to  stop  and  turn  does  not 
preclude  the  other,  whereas  a  habit  of  turning 
around  at  speed  will  prevent  a  horse  from  being  of 
any  use  for  really  good  polo. 

In  turning  the  pony,  when  it  is  my  desire  that  he 
turn  very  rapidly  and  fast,  I  always  lay  the  rein 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  neck,  so  as  to  get  it  in  an 
unaccustomed  ])lace.  The  rein  is  pressed  against 
the  lower  part  of  the  neck  more  or  less  continually, 
so  that  there  is  nothing  particularly  new  to  the 
horse  in  the  feel  of  the  rein  at  that  point.  It  almost 
never  touches  the  upper  part  of  the  neck,  near  the 
ears,  and  I  have  found  that  a  pony  will  jump 
around,  when  he  feels  the  rein  up  there,  infinitely 
faster  than  he  will  when  the  rein  is  pressed  at  the 
base  of  the  neck ;  in  fact,  it  makes  the  signal  for 


Horsemanship  47 

(luick  turning  a  distinct  one,  as  opposed  to  a  sliift- 
ing  of  direction.  I  am  able  to  turn  my  best  polo 
]>onies  almost  on  a  loose  rein,  touching  the  mouth 
very,  very  lightly,  and  by  shitting  the  rein  on  the 
neck  they  know  instantly  whether  I  am  attempting 
to  shift  the  direction  slightly  so  as  to  get  nearer 
the  play  or  whether  I  want  to  bring  them  around  to 
place  them  in  position  to  go  in  an  opposite  direction. 

A  most  imjiortant  thing  in  polo  is  the  care  and  Save  the  pony, 
saving  of  the  horse.  I  have  spoken  elsewhere  of 
using  the  mallet  to  protect  the  horse  from  getting 
hit  by  opponents.  I  should  only,  under  the  most 
important  circumstances,  hit  the  ball  through  under 
the  pony's  bell}'  when  going  fast,  for  fear  of  hit- 
ting the  horse's  legs  either  with  the  stick  or  the 
ball. 

A  horse  may  be  greatly  saved  by  resting  him  in 
play.  A  great  many  players,  ])articularly  begin- 
ners, feel  that  they  have  to  gallop  all  the  time,  that 
they  are  not  playing  if  they  are  not  galloping,  and 
when  the  opjtortunity  comes  for  a  moment's  rest, 
when  the  horse  can  stand  still  or  be  galloping 
slowly,  the}'  are  still  galloping  madly  about  and 
getting  themselves  out  of  position.  To  save  a  horse 
properly,  it  is  necessary  to  know  exactly  how  to 
play  to  an  opponent.  If  you  place  your  pony  in 
such  relation  to  that  of  your  corresponding  oppo-  Fig.  24. 
nent  that  he  can  not  get  at  the  ball  without  passing 
you,  and  you  are  vigilant  about  watching  him,  you 
can  very  often  save  your  pony  and  hold  him  with 
very  little  exertion  on  the  part  of  man  and  horse  so 
as  absolutely  to  cover  your  opponent.  Thus  if  a 
ball  comes  back  you  may  be  al»le  to  meet  it  or  if  it 
]>asses  yon  will  be  ready  to  Inrn  and.  l»y  crooking  or 
hard  riding,  prevent  yonr  coi-resj»onding  op])onent 


48 


As  TO  Polo 


The  liue  of 
play. 


Time  to  speed. 


Xeeclless 
galloping. 


Bitting. 


from  getting  the  ball,  and  tlins  entirely  cover  your 
position.  The  polo  plaj^er  should  make  a  rule  never 
to  gallop  one  unnecessary  foot. 

The  best  players  get  in  the  line  of  the  play,  which 
is  the  line  the  ball  is  traveling,  and,  always  watch- 
ing where  the  corresponding  opponent  is,  hold 
themselves  ready  to  pick  up  the  play  with  a  rush 
when  tlie  time  comes.  As  soon  as  it  is  necessary, 
in  order  to  prevent  the  opposing  player  from  get- 
ting by  or  getting  the  ball,  they  should  get  up  speed 
and  hold  it  while  the  rush  lasts.  If  a  chance  comes 
to  hit  the  ball  the  player  should  then  put  his  pony 
at  top  speed  and  come  right  along  the  right  of  way, 
going  at  such  speed  that  nobodj'  will  risk  coming 
into  it  at  any  angle  but  a  safe  one. 

Ponies  that  are  saved  in  this  way  get  to  know 
when  speed  is  wanted  of  them  and  will  respond  to 
the  master's  signal  in  a  way  which  ponies  that  are 
needlessly  galloped  about  by  their  masters  never  do. 
A  pony  that  is  needlessly  galloped  is  always  look- 
ing for  a  chance  to  save  himself,  as  otherwise  if  he 
goes  constantly  at  top  speed  lie  will  soon  be  played 
out.  The  pony  that  is  saved  by  his  master  is  fresh 
and  eager  for  a  rush  and  all  the  time  waiting  for 
a  signal  to  move. 

In  speaking  of  equipment,  I  mentioned  the  matter 
of  bits,  which  is  one  of  the  most  important  elements 
of  horsemanship,  and  one  that  seems  to  be  least 
studied  and  understood  by  men  who  are  accustomed 
to  use  horses.  I  know  in  my  own  case,  although  I 
had  ridden  from  the  age  of  four,  I  knew  practically 
nothing  about  bits  or  the  science  of  bitting  when  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four  I  took  up  polo.  I  grade  my 
bits  as  follows : 


HORSEMANSHir  49 

1.  Rubber  snaffle  that  has  served  me  for  but  one  of  the 
very  many  ponies  I  have  played. 

2.  Steel  snaffle,  broken.  I  have  always  preferred  this 
with  large  and  fiat  rings. 

3.  Straight-bar  Pelham.  This  bit  I  find  most  of  my 
ponies  come  to  play.  I  have  them  with  four  different 
lengths  of  the  curb  bars  giving  different  degrees  of  leverage 
on  the  curb  chain.  Ponies  with  very  light  mouths  can  be 
helped  by  covering  the  bit  with  leather. 

4.  Bit  and  l)ridoon.  I  use  these  with  two  different 
lengths  of  curb  bars,  medium  and  long.  Some  ponies  have 
to  he  used  permanently  with  a  bit  of  this  severity,  but  I 
try  to  work  the  ponies  gradually  to  an  easier  bit. 

5.  Gag  snaffle  without  curb. 

6.  Gag  snaffle  with  curb. 

7.  Hanoverian  Pelham,  with  and  without  steel  rings 
which  revolve  on  the  bit  and  prevent  the  horse  from  get- 
ting a  grip  on  it  with  his  teeth.  This  is  the  severest  bit  I 
have  ever  used. 

I  am  not  sure  but  that  a  horse  might  be  broken 
of  a  desire  to  pull  by  the  use  of  the  Mexican  high 
port,  but  I  advise  against  the  use  of  a  bit  like  that 
for  playing. 

When  first  putting  ponies  into  polo  I  test  them  Sharp  bit  and 
until  I  find  a  bit  they  are  afraid  of  and  that  they  light  hand  at 
won't  under  any  circumstances  take  hold  of.  Play- 
ing them  then  with  a  very  light  rein  and  an  easy 
pull,  I  get  them  to  obey  the  voice  and  the  indica- 
tion of  raising  the  hand  which  presages  a  pull  on 
the  curb.  At  the  start  T  usually  have  the  curb 
chain  very  tight,  so  that  the  pressure  on  the  jaw 
comes  very  quickl}'.  In  his  first  stages  of  develop- 
ment I  usually  have  the  pony's  head  tied  down 
fairly  low  with  the  standing  martingale.  As  soon 
as  the  horse  has  responded  to  this  bit  in  such  a  waj' 
as  to  make  me  feel  confident  that  he  understands 
the  signals  and  will  obey  them  without  the  neces- 


first. 


50  As  TO  Polo 

sily  lor  puiii.slinieiit,  1  iiniiiediiitely  make  the  hit 
Easing  tho  hit.  easier.  The  first  step  in  this  process  is  loosening 
the  links  on  the  curb  chain  so  the  curb  will  not 
begin  to  press  until  it  is  pulled  a  little  farther 
back  and  lengthening  the  martingale  to  give  the 
Jiead  more  freedom.  The  next  process  is  to  move 
up  into  the  next  easiest  bit  in  the  way  I  have  men- 
tioned, sometimes  skipping  one  or  two.  Sometimes 
I  pass  from  Hanoverian  Pelliam  clear  to  the 
straight-bar  Pelham  witli  the  long  bar  on  the  curb, 
sometimes  merely  to  the  bit  and  bridoon,  and  this 
process  continues  as  long  as  the  horse  is  naturally 
at  home  and  going  satisfactorily  with  the  easier  bit. 
Martingale  As  the  liorse  gets  more  and  more  perfect  in  the 

(lone  away  game,  the  standing  martingale  may  be  lengthened 

^^'^*^^-  until  finally,  in  some  good  horses,  it  can  be  taken 

off. 

Crane  has  found  that  the  position  of  the  bit  in 
the  mouth  makes  a  great  difference  with  his  ponies ; 
some  play  better  if  the  bit  is  not  too  high.  I  play 
all  of  my  ponies  with  the  bit  just  easily  reaching 
the  corner  of  the  mouth  without  pressing. 
Most  useful  itit.  The  straight-bar  Pelham  with  31/2  to  4  inch  curb 
bars  I  consider  one  whicli  is  usually  the  most  sat- 
isfactory; most  ponies  will  come  to  play  well  with 
it. 

The  first  three  bits  on  the  list  can  be  used  only 
on  ponies  with  the  most  delicate  and  tender  mouths 
and  unusually  responsive  to  the  bit.  In  my  exi>eri- 
ence  only  one  out  of  four  or  five  good  ponies  have 
such  mouths,  and  tliere  is  no  need  of  paralyzing  the 
pony's  mouth  even  if  you  have  a  sharp  bit.  If  the 
policy  which  I  recommend  is  adopted,  the  indica- 
tions may  be  given  with  a  very  light  touch.  an<l 
horses  will  get  along  perfectly  well  even  with   the 


HORSEMAN'SIIII'  51 

sharpest  and  most  cruel  bits.  I  play  with  very 
loose  rein  and  pull  on  the  bit  the  least  possible 
amount. 

After  the  earlier  stages  of  training  and  testing  are  Easy  hit  adds 
past,  it  is  inadvisable,  however,  to  play  a  pony  under  to  speed. 
a  very  sharp  bit,  relying  upon  a  light  hand  not  to 
use  it.  The  pony  with  a  light  mouth  will  be  afraid 
of  a  sharp  bit  the  minute  it  is  in  his  mouth,  and 
many  ponies  refuse  to  gallop  against  a  bit  which 
they  are  afraid  of.  If  a  man  wants  to  get  speed  out 
of  a  pony  with  a  light  nu)uth,  he  should  put  on  the 
lightest  bit  with  which  he  can  stop  him,  because  in 
this  way  only  can  he  get  his  highest  elticiency.  The 
gentle  handling  of  a  pony  in  stopping  has  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  the  speed  which  can  be  gotten  out 
of  him,  and  light  handed  players  are  apt  to  be  the 
fastest.  As  speed  is  the  essential  requisite  for  really 
lirst-class  polo — enough  said. 

The  ponies  also  get  to  understand  the  feel  of  the    Use  of  legs  in 
legs  in  the  saddle  and  will  respond  to  them  in  turn-   {guiding  ponies 
ing,  but  I  will  leave  to  the  expert  horse  trainers    ' 
the  various  uses  of  the  legs,  to  indicate  to  the  horse 
the  desire  to  turn,  changing  leads,  etc.    I  have  never 
made  much  of  a  study  of  this,  and  have  let  my  horse 
learn   about   the   pressure   of   the   leg   more   uncon- 
sciously than  otherwise.     Of  course,  he  does  learn 
it,  because  a  man  shifts  his  position  in  the  saddle 
in  order  to  bring  his  horse  around. 

When  a  pony  that  has  been  playing  steadily  well  When  iwnies 
begins  either  to  pull  or  to  have  some  trick,  it  indi-  ^H-quire  faults. 
cates  that  something  is  the  matter,  and  instead  of 
putting  on  a  sharper  bit  the  player  should  tind 
out  the  reason  for  this  change.  Nine  times  ont  of 
ten  he  will  lind  tliat  the  pony's  legs  are  beginning 
to  go,  or  that  he  has  trouble  with  his  teetli,  which 


52 


As  TO  Polo 


"Weakening  of 
fore  tendons. 


Practice  tlie 
pony  on  the 
boards. 


Do  not  jerk 
when  hitting. 


is  most  likely  to  be  the  case  if  the  pony  holds  liis 
head  to  one  side.  The  first  indications  I  have  of 
a  pony  weakening  in  his  forelegs  is  the  fact  that 
he  begins  to  take  hold  of  the  bit  when  he  has  not 
done  so  before.  This  means  that  the  pony  doesn't 
want  to  stop  and  that  he  is  afraicl  of  it.  The  cure 
is  to  lay  the  pony  up  and  either  "blister"  or  "fire" 
him,  or  if  these  measures  are  not  necessary  give  him 
a  good  rest.  If  the  groom  is  careless  and  does  not 
tell  the  player  that  the  legs  are  beginning  to  bother 
or  swell  and  show  signs  of  weakness  in  the  tendons, 
by  sharpening  the  bit  and  keeping  on  inlaying,  it 
is  possible  to  ruin  a  first-rate  pony  that  otherwise, 
by  immediate  care,  would  be  played  for  years.  I 
have  played  some  of  my  ponies  seven  years,  and 
Allan  Forbes  played  one  of  his  ponies  in  all  of  his 
matches  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  He  played  the 
position  of  No.  1  and  often  played  only  two  ponies 
in  his  very  important  matches.  He  was  active  and 
light  and  knew  the  art  of  saving  his  ponies. 

There  are  a  number  of  niceties  about  polo  which 
it  is  well  for  players  to  learn.  In  the  first  place, 
almost  all  ponies,  when  beginning,  are  awkward 
about  taking  the  boards.  Players  should  have  their 
ponies  trained  to  run  along  the  boards  and  jum]) 
them  at  speed,  going  over  them  at  angles  without 
swerving,  which  they  very  readily  learn  to  do.  If 
the  ponies  are  not  specially  trained  to  this  they 
are  apt  to  trip  on  the  boards  some  time  and  go 
down  or  shy  at  them  and  possibly  shy  into  another 
pony  going  at  speed,  which  might  uuike  a  foul  which 
would  be  perfectly  avoidable  by  a  little  foresight. 

In  coming  up  on  the  ball  before  hitting,  the  hand 
sliould  be  held  low  and  exerting  a  slight  pressure 


HORSEMANSHir  53 

on  the  pony's  month,  enongli  to  steady  him  and 
show  him  that  the  rider  is  alert.  The  greatest 
care  should  be  taken  to  give  no  jerk  whatever  nor 
anj^  very  great  change  of  the  hands  or  legs  at  the 
moment  of  hitting.  A  jerk  on  the  rein  or  a  jab  of 
the  spur  will  surely  result  in  the  liorse  giving  some 
little  check  as  the  stroke  is  made  which  will  be  most 
disastrous  to  the  accuracy  of  the  stroke.  Ponies 
are  often  spoiled  in  this  way,  and  it  is  a  fault  which 
takes  a  long  time  to  cure.  The  best  way  I  have 
found  to  cure  ponies  of  a  defect  of  this  kind  is  to 
get  them  out  where  there  are  a  number  of  balls 
lying  around  and  to  swing  all  the  time  so  that  the 
mallet  is  continually  moving.  If  one  ball  is  passed 
over  without  hitting  because  the  pony  tried  to  shy, 
the  next  ball  may  be  taken,  but  in  any  case  the 
utmost  care  should  be  taken  not  to  catch  the  pony 
either  on  the  bit  or  with  the  spur  or  whip  when  the 
stroke  is  made. 

If  the  pony  has  a  practice  of  shying  from  the 
ball  occasionally,  it  is  well  to  touch  him  with  the 
spur  before  he  reaches  it,  making  the  stroke  with- 
out any  touch  either  of  the  curb  or  spur;  but  if  he 
shies  at  the  time  of  hitting,  punish  him  afterwards 
by  giving  him  a  sharp  dig  with  the  spur,  possibly 
a  sharp  stroke  of  the  whip,  and  accompanied  by  a 
good  active  reminder  on  the  curb,  all  as  in  the 
nature  of  punishment.  The  pony  should  be  then  set 
at  the  ball  again  and  reminded  once  again  with  the 
spur  before  the  time  comes  to  hit,  not  as  the  stroke 
is  made.  If  he  still  persists  in  shying,  he  should  be 
carefully  drilled  to  eliminate  it,  but  I  recommend 
strongly  against  digging  with  the  spur  at  the  mo- 
ment the  stroke  is  made. 


54 


As  TO  Polo 


Training 
exercises. 


Be  quiet  with 
your  horse. 


It  is  well  to  hang  a  polo  mallet  in  the  .stall  with 
a  new  pony  in  order  to  accustom  him  to  the  sight 
and  nearness  of  it. 

I  shall  not  make  any  extended  comment  on  the 
subject  of  training  horses.  '  Anybody  who  wants  to 
train  his  pony  had  better  read  that  which  has  been 
written  on  the  subject  by  masters  of  polo.  There 
are  a  great  many  exercises  at  wliich  ponies  should 
be  put,  such  as  bending  between  posts,  riding  past 
other  ponies  going  at  speed,  pushing  against  other 
ponies,  and  turning  and  following  the  ball,  etc.  I 
have  little  time  to  do  it,  and  do  not  feel  expert  at  it. 
What  little  training  of  ponies  I  have  accomplished 
has  been  done  by  taking  a  mallet  and  going  out  and 
hitting  a  ball  around  until  I  could  get  the  pony  into 
the  game  and  then  playing  him  until  he  became  good, 
only  staying  by  those  which  showed  suflicient  apti- 
tude for  the  game  to  play  after  this  imperfect  and 
casual  method  of  development. 

The  only  suggestions  I  should  make  are  that  the 
rider  should  always  try  to  be  quiet  with  the  horse 
and  very  firm  with  him.  If  he  develops  any  par- 
ticular trait,  such  as  shying,  checking,  or  objecting 
to  nigh-side  work,  throwing  his  head  when  the  ball 
is  struck,  swerving  over  the  ball  or  on  back  strokes 
turning  before  the  ball  is  struck,  practically  the 
whole  time  should  be  devoted  to  curing  such  defect 
or  defects  until  they  are  eradicated.  It  is  most  im- 
portant that  the  horse  sh(mld  feel  that  the  game 
is  a  matter  ©f  course,  that  it  is  the  easy  and  natural 
thing,  and  that  there  is  nothing  unusually  exciting 
or  strange  about  it. 


CHAPTER  VI 

USE  OF  THE  MALLET 

111  treating  this  subject,  "Use  of  the  mallet/'  I 
shall  take  up  first  the  subject  of  hitting  and  then 
the  manner  of  carrying  the  stick  and  its  uses  in 
crooking. 

Strokes  may  be  divided  into  the  following  general   Classification 
classes :  of  strokes. 

1.  The  full  stroke  forward  (on  the  off  side), 
which  can  be  subdivided  into — 

(a)  The  straight  stroke,  or  one  which  follows  the 
line  of  the  ball  to  send  the  ball  straight  ahead. 

(b)  The  cross  stroke,  which  swings  across  the  line 
of  the  ball ;  and 

(c)  The  cut  stroke,  or  stroke  in  which  the  head 
of  the  mallet  is  held  at  an  angle  to  the  direction 
of  the  stroke,  with  the  object  of  deflecting  the  ball. 

2.  The  back  stroke  (on  the  off  side),  with  the 
same  subdivisions  as  in  the  full  stroke  forward. 

3.  The  nigh-side  stroke  forward. 

4.  The  nigh-side  stroke  backward. 

5.  The  half  stroke  forward,  which  also  is  di- 
visible into  the  general  subdivisions  (a),  (b),  and 
(c). 

Three-fourths  of  the  game  lies  in  the  ability  to  Value  of 
play  the  full  stroke,  forward  and  back,  on  the  off  full  strokes. 
or  right-hand  side  of  the  horse;  one-fourth  lies  in 
the  ability  to  hit  in  all  other  ways,  as  nigh-side 
strokes,  cut  strokes,  turning  the  ball,  etc. 


56 


As  TO  Polo 


The  player  should  concentrate,  therefore,  on  learn- 
ing the  full  stroke  well,  in  the  belief  that  with  the 
full  stroke  well  learned  he  can  become  a  first-rate 
player.  Without  the  full  stroke  properly  learned 
he  can  never  amount  to  anything  as  a  polo  player. 
His  excellence  in  all  other  strokes  will  in  no  way 
compensate  for  the  failure  to  know  the  full  stroke 
thoroughly. 
Full  stroke.  1.     The  fuU  stroke. —  (a)   The  full  stroke  is  started 

with  the  mallet  in  the  right  hand,  with  the  upper 
and  outer  part  of  the  head  pointed  back,  the  hand 
somewhat  advanced  but  not  raised.  The  stroke  is 
made  by  drawing  the  hand  back  without  raising  it, 
well  behind,  and  then  swinging  the  stick  with  an 
easy  full  sweep,  the  hand  passing  way  to  the  full 
reach  forward,  carrying  the  stroke  through  and 
bringing  the  mallet  to  the  perpendicular,  where  it 
is  again  stopped  and  held.  The  head  of  the  mallet 
thus  describes  an  elliptical  circle.  The  hand  does 
not  change  its  level,  except  on  the  down  swing,  but 
passes  from  well  forward  to  well  back  and  forward 
again.  This  movement  of  the  hand  covers  a  distance 
of  about  three  feet  each  way,  so  that  the  head  of 
the  mallet  will  travel  along  the  ground,  if  the  horse 
is  standing  still,  a  distance  of  about  three  feet,  and 
the  ball  will  be  hit  if  it  is  anywhere  in  that  distance. 
In  the  first  of  these  three  feet  the  mallet  will  be 
descending,  and  if  the  ball  is  encountered  there  the 
descending  stroke  will  tend  to  drive  it  into  the 
ground  and  no  distance  in  the  movement  of  the 
ball  will  result.  In  the  second  foot  the  mallet  will 
Maximum  be  traveling  absolutely  true  along  the  ground,  but 

efficiency.  with  a  slight  upward  tendency  toward  the  end,  and 

here  the  maximum   efficiency  of  the  stroke  is  ob- 
hiined.     In  the  third  foot  the  mallet  will  be  rising 


Use  of  the  Mallet 


and  will  tend  to  lift  the  ball  and  send  it  into  the 
air.  This  is  sometimes  a  desirable  thing,  but  usu- 
ally it  is  not.  The  player  should  usually  calculate 
to  hit  the  ball  in  the  last  six  inches  of  the  second 
foot,  above  referred  to,  when  the  mallet  is  nearly 
parallel  to  the  ground,  with  a  slight  tendency  up- 
ward. Beginners  almost  always  hit  too  late  and 
thus  hit  the  ball,  if  at  all,  in  the  first  section  and 
get  no  distance.  There  is  no  necessity  for  any  very 
great  strength  in  the  blow.  The  weight  of  the  mallet 
head  carried  with  the  movement  of  the  swing,  plus 
any  movement  that  the  horse  may  have,  is  sufficient 
to  send  the  ball  a  normal  distance.  Greater  distance 
may  be  obtained  by  making  a  swifter  swing,  and 
sometimes  it  is  well,  by  a  quick  twist  of  the  wrist, 
to  send  the  ball  an  unusual  distance.  The  player 
should  always  remember,  however,  that  the  most 
important  thing  in  hitting  is  to  start  the  stroke 
soon  enough,  so  that  the  mallet  will  not  have  any 
downward  tendency  when  it  reaches  the  ball.  Many 
players  begin  their  stroke  at  the  ground,  having 
to  describe  a  full  swing  of  the  mallet  before  hitting 
the  ball,  the  strain  on  the  arm  in  raising  the  mallet 
to  the  perpendicular  being  a  wholl}-  unnecessary'  one 
which  takes  as  much  muscle  as  the  whole  stroke 
does.  The  absurdity  of  hitting  this  way  is  too  obvi- 
ous for  argument.  It  necessitates  a  very  much  nicer 
calculation  as  to  the  time  when  the  swing  should 
begin.  If  the  pony  is  going  at  full  speed  and  the 
ball  is  standing  still,  for  a  proper  full  stroke  the 
player  should  begin  his  swing  when  about  twenty 
feet  away  from  the  ball,  if  he  has  his  mallet  up;  if 
he  has  it  down,  he  has  to  begin  just  twice  as  far 
away,  or  perhaps  a  little  farther,  as  to  lift  the  mallet 
is  a  slower  affair  than  to  swing  dowiL    The  practice 


Hitting  too 
late. 

Strength    of 
stroke. 


Start  tlie 
stroke  soon 
enough. 


Begin  the 
stroke  from  the 
Iterpendicnlar. 


58 


As  TO  Polo 


Keep  the  eye 
on  the  hall. 


Hit  with  the 
center  i)f  the 
mallet. 


When  the  ball 
has  stopped. 


When  the  ball 
is  movinij. 


of  beginning  tlie  stroke  witli  the  mallet  in  any  other 
[)Osition  than  the  perpendicnlar  has  not  one  intel- 
ligent argument  to  commend  it.  It  is  contrary  to 
all  rnles  of  good  sense  and  j^ractice,  and  shonld  be 
eliminated  at  the  very  beginning. 

The  player  should  keep  his  eye  on  the  ball,  as 
in  all  other  games,  until  the  stroke  is  complete. 
If  he  takes  his  eye  off  the  ball,  it  is  his  own  fault 
if  he  misses  it.  He  should  also  make  sure  on  what 
part  of  the  mallet  head  he  is  hitting.  He  should 
always  hit  it  on  the  exact  point  of  the  mallet  where 
the  stick  passes  through.  If  he  hits  constantly  to 
the  right  or  to  the  left  of  the  place  where  the  stick 
enters  the  head,  he  will  hit  constantly  inaccurately, 
as  the  mallet  tends  to  turn  in  the  hand  with  the 
pressure  of  a  stroke  anywhere  on  the  mallet  head 
but  the  center,  and  such  turning  will  tend  to  send 
the  ball  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  according 
to  tlie  side  of  the  center  on  which  the  stroke  is 
made.  So  that  players  who  want  to  get  accurate 
hitting  should  see  that  they  are  hitting  the  center 
of  the  ball  with  the  center  of  their  stick.  This  can 
only  be  accomplished  by  concentrating  attention  on 
it  and  watching  vigilantly  and  keeping  at  it  until 
hitting  accurately  becomes  habitual. 

In  calculating  the  time  to  hit,  one  has  to  take 
into  consideration  that  there  are  two  kinds  of 
strokes — one  when  the  ball  is  standing  still  and 
the  other  when  the  ball  is  moving.  When  the  ball  is 
standing  still,  the  only  calculation  needed  is  the 
speed  of  the  pony,  which  one  can  regulate  and  which 
in  good  play  should  be  nuule  as  fast  as  possible.  If 
the  speed  is  increasing,  one  has  to  calculate  the 
acceleration.  When  the  ball  is  moving,  one  has  to 
calculate  the  movement  of  the  ball  and  the  move- 


Use  of  the  Mallet  59 

meut  of  the  horse.  If  the  ball  is  traveling  in  the 
same  direction  as  the  horse,  and  in  the  direction  it 
is  desired  to  send  it,  the  matter  becomes  an  ex- 
tremely simple  one,  and  it  is  hard  to  make  a  i)oor 
stroke  unless  the  ball  bounces.  Where  the  ball  is 
traveling  very  fast  and  the  pony  traveling  equally 
fast  alongside  of  it,  it  does  not  matter  much  when 
you  begin  your  stroke.  If  the  ball  bounces,  the  AVlien  the  ball 
player  is  entirely  excusable  if  he  misses  it  entirely,  bounces. 
If  the  bounce  is  not  too  high  and  the  player  has 
swung  accurately,  the  ball  may  be  caught  on  the 
bounce  by  the  stick ;  btit,  even  so,  he  probably  will 
not  hit  the  center  of  the  ball,  even  though  the  stroke 
were  accurate,  and  thus  the  ball  will  be  deflected 
to  one  side. 

Crane  conmients  that  "players  should  watch  the 
bounce  and  try  to  hit  the  ball  as  it  strikes  the 
ground,  although  the  best  men  take  it  in  the  air 
when  they  have  to." 

Some  players  are  (juick  and  adroit  enough  to  bend 
the  elbow  suddenly  as  the  ball  bounces  up,  thus 
catching  it.  This  is  a  very  brilliant  play,  but  steadi- 
ness is  what  counts,  and  a  man  can  feel  satisfied 
if  he  always  gets  his  stroke  except  when  the  ball 
bounces,  and  a  player  should  not  feel  bad  at  miss- 
ing it  when  he  struck  at  the  strategic  and  proper 
moment. 

(b)  and  (c)  I  now  come  to  the  question  of  hit- 
ting the  ball  at  an  angle  to  the  course  in  which 
it  is  traveling.  There  are  two  ways  of  changing 
the  course  of  the  ball — the  cut  stroke,  nuule  by  rut  stroke, 
swinging  in  the  line  the  ball  is  traveling  but  with  the 
mallet  head  held  at  an  angle  so  as  to  turn  the  ball 
when  it  strikes,  and  the  cross  stroke,  made  by  Cross  stroke, 
swinging   across   the   line   that    tlie   ball    is   taking. 


60 


As  TO  Polo 


Values 
compared. 


Accuracy  of 
different 
strokes 
compared. 


The  merit  of  a  cut  stroke,  as  compared  with  that  of 
a  cross  stroke,  varies  directly  with  the  rapidity  of 
the  movement  of  the  ball  past  the  pony.  If  the 
ball  is  going  past  rapidly,  the  cut  stroke  is  much 
safer;  if  going  past  very  slowly  or  moving  at  the 
same  rate,  the  cross  stroke  is  better.  The  cut  stroke 
is  necessary  when  turning  the  ball  away  from  the 
pony;  turning  toward  the  pony  the  cross  stroke 
sometimes  has  advantages.  The  cut  stroke  requires 
the  mallet  to  be  centered  more  accurately  on  the 
ball  because  the  angle  at  which  the  head  is  held 
presents  a  narrower  surface  with  which  to  make 
the  stroke  than  if  the  head  were  held  square,  as  it 
is  in  the  cross  stroke.  The  difficulty  of  timing  the 
cross  stroke  when  the  ball  is  moving  rapidly  past 
the  pony  is  so  much  greater  than  the  cut  stroke  that 
it  much  more  than  balances  the  disadvantage  of  the 
narrower  surface  of  the  mallet  head  in  the  former 
and  renders  the  cross  stroke  so  much  more  difficult 
to  accomplish  that  the  chances  are  all  in  favor  of 
the  cut  stroke.  It  is  probable  that  most  players  use 
a  combination  of  the  two,  swinging  somewhat  across 
the  line  and  giving  an  additional  deflection  to  the 
ball  by  holding  the  mallet  head  at  an  angle.  I 
believe  this  to  be  advisable  and  perhaps  necessary 
when  the  ball  is  to  be  cut  well  across. 

The  experiments  I  have  made  indicate  that  the 
effective  distance  that  the  mallet  passes  along  the 
ground — about  two  feet — is  increased  by  about  a 
foot  by  the  movement  of  the  pony  when  going  at 
speed.  In  the  back  stroke  the  effective  distance  of 
the  stroke  is  reduced  by  about  six  inches  l),y  the 
adverse  movement  of  the  pony.  The  accuracy  neces- 
sary to  place  the  mallet  in  contact  with  the  ball 
throughout  the  distance  of  two  feet,  as  in  the  cut 


Use  op  the  Mallet  61 

stroke,  is  very  much  less  than  that  necessary  to  hit 
the  ball  where  the  distance  of  possible  contact  is  a 
matter  of  a  few  inches,  as  in  the  cross  stroke.  This 
difference  is  accentuated  when  the  ball  is  moving 
toward  the  player,  when  the  chance  of  hitting  it 
squarely  when  the  mallet  is  traveling  along  the  line 
of  the  ball  is  in  the  ratio  of  something  like  ten  to 
one  over  the  chance  of  hitting  it  with  a  cross  stroke. 
The  cut  stroke  also  has  an  advantage  where  the  ball 
is  being  turned  across  the  pony,  in  that  the  mallet 
is  not  so  likely  to  hit  him  as  it  is  when  swinging 
toward  him. 

Another  point  to  be  noted  is  that  the  cross  stroke 
will  send  the  ball  a  very  much  greater  distance  than 
the  cut  stroke.  It  is  obvious  that  if  the  mallet  head 
is  held  square,  perpendicular  to  the  direction  that 
it  is  intended  to  send  the  ball,  a  much  greater  dis- 
tance will  ensue  than  if  the  ball  encounters  only 
that  resistance  which  comes  from  a  slanting  or 
glancing  blow  with  the  mallet  head  held  obliquely 
to  the  direction  of  the  stroke.  This,  however,  is  not 
necessarily  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  cross  stroke, 
as  direction  is  often  inlinitely  more  important  than 
distance,  and  especially  in  turning  the  ball  a  short 
stroke  is  usually  more  to  be  desired  than  a  long  one. 

Summing  up,  then,  where  the  ball  is  passiug  the 
pony  in  either  direction  and  it  is  desired  to  turn 
the  ball  away  from  the  pony,  the  cut  stroke  is 
usually  the  only  possible  one;  and  when  it  is  desired 
to  turn  the  ball  across  the  pony,  it  is  much  the  safer 
stroke  to  try,  as  the  cross  stroke  has  to  be  calculated 
with  great  nicetj^,  judging  the  speed  of  the  horse, 
the  speed  of  the  ball,  and  the  angle  at  which  ii:  will 
strike — all  of  which  make  a  great  many  variables 
to   be   discounted.     In    the   cut    stroke,    where    the 


G2  As  TO  Polo 

mallet  is  sent  along  the  line  in  which  the  ball  is 
traveling,  the  variables  are  reduced  to  a  minimum, 
and  there  remains  only  the  question  of  getting  the 
proper  angle  and  centering  the  stick  so  that  the 
mallet  will  meet  the  ball.  The  various  ways  of 
hitting,  however,  are  subject  to  so  many  variations 
of  circumstances  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
lay  down  rules.  If  the  ball  is  traveling  in  the  same 
direction  as  the  pony,  and  at  the  same  speed,  it 
is  very  easy  to  hit  it  at  any  angle,  for  one  can  make 
the  same  stroke  as  one  can  with  the  horse  and  ball 
standing  still. 

When  it  is  desired  to  turn  the  ball  across  under 
the  pony's  neck  it  is  well  to  ride  a  little  closer  to 
the  ball  and  lean  forward,  hitting  the  ball  before 
you  get  to  it.  The  more  you  Avish  to  turn  the  ball 
the  closer  you  will  ride  to  it  and  the  farther  forward 
you  will  lean.  Until  at  right  angles  the  pony  should 
be  turned  directly  toward  the  ball  and  the  stroke 
should  be  made  under  his  neck.  In  this  case,  how- 
ever, care  should  be  taken  not  to  swing  too  fiercely, 
as,  with  a  reasonably  whippy  stick,  the  head  may 
come  right  around  and  strike  the  player  in  the  face, 
j)articularly  if  the  ball  is  missed.  Sometimes,  when 
the  angle  is  not  too  great,  the  ball  can  be  made 
to  clear  the  pony  by  bringing  the  pony  up  very  wide, 
say,  three  or  four  feet,  from  the  ball,  leaning  well 
out  of  the  saddle  and  turning  the  ball  across  in 
front  of  the  pony.  In  an}'  case  care  should  be 
taken  not  to  hit  the  pony  with  the  stick  or  the  ball, 
a  thing  undesirable  both  from  the  point  of  view  of 
possible  injury  to  the  pony  and  of  spoiling  the  stroke. 
Chopping  the  Sometimes,  where  it  is  necessary  to  cut  the  ball 

t'fill-  across  and  no  great  distance  is  needed,  it  is  well  to 

chop  at  the  ball,  hitting  in  such  a  way  that  the  mal- 


Use  of  the  Mallet  63 

Jet  bead  will  stop  on  the  grouud.  This  prevents 
tangling  the  stick  with  the  pony's  legs  and  often 
serves  the  necessary  end. 

In  turning  the  ball  away  from  the  pony  it  will  be  Turning  the 
found  etfective  also  to  bring  him  up  well  to  the  ball, 
side  of  the  ball  and  then  to  hit  a  half  stroke  rather 
late.  If  a  full  stroke  is  attempted  under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  mallet  will  often  catch  in  the  pony's 
tail,  as  he  will  have  it  swung,  rudder  like,  toward 
the  side  he  is  turning,  and  to  get  the  stroke  away 
one  swings  across  from  behind  the  horse.  A  half 
stroke  will  send  the  ball  a  nice  distance  to  turn 
and  reach. 

2.  The  hack  stroke. — In  making  the  back  stroke  Back  stroke, 
on  the  off  or  right  side,  which  is  the  second  most 
important  stroke  in  the  game  of  polo,  I  always  put 
my  tlunnb  down  the  center  of  the  flat  part  of  the 
handle  and  swing  with  much  more  rai»idity  than 
I  do  on  the  fore  stroke,  for  the  reason  that  the 
momentum  of  the  horse  is  against  the  stroke,  instead 
of  being  with  it,  and  therefore  much  more  force  is 
needed  to  get  distance. 

In  the  forward  stroke  most  beginners  hit  too  late.    Don't  hit 
In  the  back  stroke  they'  are  almost  certain  to  hit   too  soou. 
too  soon.     Never  hit  the  ball  until  you  have  passed 
it  unless  you  are  conii)elled  to  do  so  for  one  of  two 
reasons,  either  because  somebody  is  coming  up  to 
interfere  with  the  stroke  by  riding  or  crooking,  or 
because  it  is  crossing  the  goal  and  it  is  necessary  to 
hit   it  before   it   reaches   there,   in   which   case   dis-     • 
tance  is  not  the  thing  sought  for  but  stopping  the 
ball  somehow.     In  these  cases  I  swing  with  the  hand 
held   forward,    making   entirely   a    wrist    stroke   so 
as  not  to  jab  the  ball  down  into  the  ground  with  a 
descending  blow. 


64 


As  TO  Polo 


Don't  hit 
toward 
oncoming 
players. 


Look  where  to 
send  the  ball. 


Drawing  the 
back  stroke 
across. 


In  makiug  the  back  stroke,  particulaily  on  the 
part  of  No.  4,  care  should  be  taken  to  hit  the  ball 
at  some  angle  from  the  line  of  j)laT  in  such  a  way 
that  the  stroke  will  not  be  blocked  and  spoiled  by 
hitting  oncoming  horses.  One  well-known  back, 
whom  I  knew,  consistently  drew  the  ball  across 
behind  his  pony's  quarters,  hitting  always  toward 
his  left,  a  policy  which  usually  worked  well. 

The  whole  rush  of  ponies  of  both  teams  is  follow- 
ing in  the  line  the  ball  is  coming,  and  if  the  stroke 
goes  directly  back  there  is  a  probability  of 
hitting  the  feet  or  legs  of  one  of  the  ponies  or  of 
the  ball  getting  hit  by  the  mallet  of  some  alert 
opj)onent,  whereas  if  the  ball  is  drawn  or  cut  by  No. 
4.  when  he  backs  it,  so  that  it  moves  somewhat  away 
from  the  line  the  crowd  is  following,  there  is  everj' 
chance  that  it  will  not  be  blocked.  Knowing  this 
practice  on  the  part  of  the  player  of  whom  I  speak, 
I  always  threw  my  pony  across  to  my  left  in  order 
to  intercept  the  ball,  but  rarely  succeeded  in  block- 
ing the  back  stroke,  as  I  was  across  the  new  line 
the  ball  was  traveling  and  the  chance  of  blocking 
it  was  infinite]}'  less  than  if  I  had  been  traveling 
along  the  line  of  the  ball.  The  best  players,  how- 
ever, look  to  see  where  they  are  hitting  to  and  strive 
to  hit  either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  according  as 
they  are  hitting  away  from  the  goal  they  are  de- 
fending, away  from  plaj'ers  of  the  opposing  side, 
or  toward  players  of  their  own  side.  Sometimes, 
perhaps,  all  three  considerations  may  enter  into 
the  thing,  sometimes  one  and  sometimes  another 
being  a  controlling  reason  for  the  direction  and 
distance  of  the  stroke.  When  the  ball  is  to  be 
drawn  across  behind  your  own  pony's  quarters,  it 
is  well  to  ride  fairlv  close  to  the  ball,  hitting  a  little 


Use  op  the  Mallet 


65 


forward 
stroke. 


later  than  you  otherwise  would,  leaning  back  in  the 
saddle  and  swinging  well  across  behind  the  pony. 
The  amount  of  the  angle  of  swing  to  the  line  of  the 
ball  should  be  determined  by  the  distance  across  it 
is  desired  to  send  the  ball.  If  it  is  desired  to  send 
it  well  across,  I  should  combine  the  cut  or  turned 
mallet  head  with  the  cross  swing. 

3.  The  nigh-side  stroke  forward. — To  make  my  Nigii-side 
nigh-side  forward  stroke,  I  stand  up  in  the  saddle. 
For  this  purpose  I  have  my  stirrups  fairly  short  and 
turn  so  that  my  shoulders  are  parallel  to  the  direc- 
tion the  horse  is  going.  I  then  lean  forward  just 
enough  to  get  my  shoulder  fairly  well  over  the  ball 
I  am  trying  to  hit  and  make  what  is  reall}"  a  back 
stroke  forward.  In  other  words,  I  use  the  same 
strength,  muscle,  and  stroke,  with  my  thumb  down  As  it  were  a 
the  center  of  the  stick,  as  though  I  were  hitting  a  '^^^^  stroke 
back  stroke  on  the  off  side,  and  in  this  way  I  get 
a  lot  of  force  in  the  nigh-side  forward  stroke.  The 
swing  is  exactly  the  same  as  for  the  oft'-side  back 
stroke,  except  that  there  is  no  occasion  to  put  so 
much  speed  in  the  swing,  as  the  momentum  is  now 
all  in  favor  of  the  stroke.  In  order  to  get  this 
position  one  has  to  make  movements  of  the  legs 
which,  until  the  pony  understands  what  is  wanted, 
are  likely  to  make  him  think  he  is  wanted  to  turn ; 
and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  often  seen  ponies 
turn  over  the  ball  in  response  to  the  movement  of 
the  legs  in  making  this  stroke.  This  tendency  may 
be  balanced  by  a  counter  pressure  of  the  rein,  but  a 
thoroughly  trained  pony,  the  moment  he  sees  your 
hand  swing  across,  will  know  that  it  means  he  is 
expected  to  stay  straight  and  bring  you  up  true  on 
the  ball,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  you  have  turned 
and  changed  tlie  jxtsition  of  your  legs  in  the  saddle. 


66 


As  TO  Polo 


Tendency  to 
hit  late. 


Nigh-side 
back  stroke. 


Carry  the 

stroke 

through. 

Practice 
meeting  the 
ball. 


1  always  move  my  mallet  over  to  the  nigh  side  as 
soon  as  I  have  decided  to  make  the  nigli-.side  stroke, 
so  as  to  give  my  pony  notice  of  what  I  ex])ect  of  him. 
The  tendency  to  hit  late  on  the  nigh  side  is  even 
more  pronounced  than  it  is  on  the  other  side,  owing 
to  the  length  of  time  it  takes  to  get  placed  and  the 
increased  difficulty  in  the  stroke,  and  the  fact  that 
one  does  not  get  the  speed  in  the  swing  that  is 
usual  on  the  off  side.  Beginners  should  try  to  dis- 
count this  by  beginning  their  strokes  a  little  sooner 
than  it  looks  as  though  they  ought  to. 

4.  The  nigh-side  stroke  hackivard. — The  back 
stroke  on  the  nigh  side  is  almost  the  most  powerful 
stroke  a  i^laj'er  can  make.  It  gets  all  the  muscular 
force  of  a  forward  stroke  on  the  off  side.  The  only 
diflficulty  is  that  of  gauging  the  distance  from  the 
ground.  The  swing,  augmented  by  the  turn  of  the 
body,  gives  an  opportunity  for  immense  force  to 
the  stroke.  Here  again  caution  is  given  in  regard  to 
hitting  too  soon.  The  same  tendency  that  shows 
itself  in  hitting  too  late  on  the  forward  strokes 
leads  a  great  many  players  to  make  the  very  serious 
error  of  hitting  too  soon  on  the  back  stroke.  In 
all  these  strokes  the  mallet  should  nuike  one  com- 
plete circle.  The  stroke  should  always  be  carried 
through  until  the  mallet  is  in  the  perpendicular. 

To  get  practice  in  meeting  coming  balls,  I  recom- 
mend the  exercise  of  having  balls  thrown  toward 
oncoming  players,  in  order  that  they  may  meet 
them.  Here,  more  than  in  any  other  stroke,  the 
difficulty  lies  in  hitting  soon  enough.  If  the  player 
can  place  himself  so  that  he  is  traveling  in  the  line 
in  which  the  ball  is  coming,  he  is  certain  to  hit  it, 
provided  he  can  get  his  nmllet  off  soon  enough, 
swings  true,  and  the  ball  does  not  bounce.    Players 


Use  op  the  Mallet  67 

should  begin  this  exercise  with  the  pony  at  a  stand- 
still, so  as  to  see  at  what  distance  from  the  ball 
it  is  necessary  to  begin  swinging  so  as  to  get  the 
mallet  down  at  the  right  time.  They  should  also 
stud}^  to  get  a  little  adroitness  in  moving  the  pony 
into  a  position  that  will  bring  the  swing  along  the 
line  in  which  the  ball  is  coming  rather  than  across 
it.  When  the  eye  is  trained  and  enough  experience 
has  been  gained  to  meet  the  ball  regularly  with  the 
pony  standing  still,  the  next  development  is  meeting 
a  thrown  ball  by  riding  toward  it,  gradually  in- 
creasing the  speed.  When  the  pony  is  moving  fast, 
the  difficulty  in  meeting  is  not  much  greater  than 
if  the  pony  is  standing  still  or  if  the  ball  is  standing 
still,  provided  always  that  the  ball  does  not  bounce. 
As  explained  elsewhere,  it  is  much  more  difficult 
to  meet  the  ball  successfully  with  a  cross  stroke 
than  with  a  stroke  that  follows  the  line  in  which 
the  ball  is  coming,  as  it  takes  a  much  nicer  calcula- 
tion. 

When  the  ball  is  standing  still  or  moving  very 
slowly  and  it  is  desired  to  change  the  direction  of 
play  or  to  hit  it  in  a  direction  other  than  that  in 
which  the  pon}-  has  been  going,  it  is  well  to  turn  the    Hitting  when 
pony  and  get  started  on  the  new  line  it  is  proposed    turning, 
to  establish  before  hitting  the  ball.     This   should 
always  be  done  if  the  ball  is  stationary,  unless  the 
player  is  being  hurried  by  one  of  the  other  side       Fig.  5. 
and   has  to  ride  straight  at  the  ball  in  order  to 
maintain  liis  right  of  way.     In  other  words,  if  by 
turning  before  reaching  the  ball  he  loses  his  right 
of  way  and  possibly  his  chance  to  hit,  he  should 
hit  the  ball  while  turning,  or.  if  he  can  not  do  that 
without  fouling,  ride  straight  at  it  and  hit  it  and 
turn    to    follow    i1    afterwards.      Wlien    the    ball    is 


68  As  TO  Polo 

standing  still,  or  nearly  so,  turning  before  reaching 
it  has  the  following  advantages:  First,  the  stroke 
is  truer  because  you  are  hitting  in  the  direction 
you  are  going  and  do  not  have  to  send  the  ball  at  an 
angle  to  the  natural  swing  of  the  mallet.  Second, 
it  is  easier  to  hit  the  ball  because  the  horse,  when 
turning,  is  leaning  and  therefore  brings  you  nearer 
to  the  ground  on  one  side  or  farther  on  the  other, 
which  makes  necessary  an  adjustment  of  the  length 
of  the  stick.  Third,  one  of  the  most  important 
pi„  2.  things  of  polo  is  maintaining  the  right  of  way  once 

on  it.  If  the  pony  is  headed  in  the  right  direction 
when  the  ball  is  hit,  there  is  no  necessity  of  further 
turning,  which  usually  means  some  delay  in  getting 
adjusted  to  the  new  direction.  Thus,  if  all  of  these 
preliminaries  can  be  attended  to  before  the  rush 
is  started  when  the  ball  is  once  hit,  the  pony  can 
go  along  with  accelerated  speed  and  make  the  ad- 
vance very  much  more  formidable  than  it  will  be 
if  there  are  preliminaries  to  be  attended  to  after 
hitting  and  before  the  right  of  way  can  be  entered 
Passing  the  upon  and  maintained  at  speed.  In  this  connection, 
ball  before  when  there  is  plent}'  of  time  and  it  is  desired  to 

turning.  change  the  direction  of  the  play  directly  back  instead 

of  turning  directly  over  the  ball,  the  player  should 
ride  past  it  about  ten  or  fifteen  feet,  turn  his  pony, 
and  come  back  at  it,  so  that  when  he  finally  hits 
the  ball  he  is  traveling  along  the  line  of  the  new 
right  of  way  and  is  all  ready  to  continue  the  rush. 
The  half  5.     The  half  stroke. — The  half  stroke  is  made  by 

stroke.  dropping  the  mallet  until  it  is  perpendicular  to  the 

ground,  swinging  it  slowly  backward  and  then 
swinging  it  along  the  ground  slowly  forward,  being 
careful  to  hit  the  ball  after  the  mallet  has  passed 
the  peri)endicular  and  the  head  of  the  mallet  is  on 


Use  of  the  Mallet 


69 


the  upward  swing.  In  case  the  exigencies  of  the 
stroke  are  snch  as  to  necessitate  hitting  tlie  ball 
back  of  the  saddle,  the  same  result  can  be  accom- 
plished by  leaning  away  back,  holding  the  arm  back 
behind  the  saddle,  and  swinging  from  there  without 
the  usual  forward  movement  of  the  hand  and  arm, 
taking  the  ball  only  with  a  swing  of  the  wrist.  A 
little  practice  will  show  what  distance  can  be  se- 
cured with  half  strokes,  and,  in  case  the  ball  is  not 
driven  far  enough  to  allow  time  to  make  the  second 
a  full  stroke,  it  is  easy  to  make  a  second  half  stroke. 
In  other  words,  if  there  is  not  time  before  reaching 
the  ball  again  to  make  a  complete  swing,  or  if  there 
is  not  enough  room  for  such  swing,  owing  to  the 
proi)in(iuity  of  other  players,  the  half  stroke  may 
be  repeated. 

The   half   stroke   is   useful,    first,    where   a    short    Uses  of 
distance  is  desired,  and  second,  where  there  is  not    half  strokes, 
room   for  tlie  full   stroke.     The   short   distance   is 
usually  desired,  first,  when  hitting  strokes  that  cut 
the  lines  of  play  and  that  do  not  parallel  them,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1 — in  other  words,  when  taking  the 
ball  around ;  second,  in  hitting  where  there  is  an 
opponent  clear  in  front  to  whom  you  do  not  want 
to  hit  and  who  may  be  avoided  by  hitting  short, 
so  that  he  can  not  get  near  the  ball  without  stopping 
or  perhaps  turning  his  horse,  in  whicli  case  you  have 
a  good  chance  to  rush  past  him  with  your  second 
stroke:  third,  hitting  when  it  is  desired  to  hit  to 
some  player  of  your  side  who  can  be  reached  by  a 
short  stroke  but  not  by  a  long  one;  and  fourth,  in 
playing  approach  shots  to  goal.     I  am  personally 
much  opposed  to  taking  long  shots  at  goal.     I  believe   Dont  try  lonj 
in  approaching  and  then  sending  the  ball  over  from    shots  at  goal, 
near  to.     I  |)ersonally  never  try  to  hit  a  goal  from  a 


70  As  TO  Polo 

greater  distance  than  sixty  yards,  even  though  di- 
rectly in  front  and  witli  a  clear  tield.  I  always  try 
an  approach  shot  instead  and  then  endeavor  to  drive 

And  why.  the  ball  over,  with  my  last  stroke,  close  to.     The 

reason  for  this  is  that  hitting  from  over  sixty  yards 
requires  such  accuracy  and  precision  of  stroke  that 
a  player  of  no  greater  accuracy  of  stroke  than  I 
will  i^robably  knock  the  ball  out ;  and  I  believe  that 
team  wall  win  in  the  long  run  which  plays  always 
for  approach  to  the  goal,  with  the  idea  of  hitting 
the  ball  through  from  fairly  close  to  the  goal  line. 
The  distance  from  which  a  goal  nuiy  be  safely  tried 

Angle  goals.  varies  with  the  angle.  At  a  sharp  angle  one  should 
not  try  the  goal  at  a  greater  distance  than  thirty 
yards;  at  a  very  sharp  angle  it  does  not  pay  to  try 
to  hit  the  goal  at  all.  I  hit  to  have  the  ball  stop 
out  in  front  of  the  posts,  depending  upon  a  second 
stroke  to  carry  it  through. 

There  are  certain  niceties  of  play  one  sees  in  very 
expert  players.  One  is  dropping  the  mallet  in  the 
way  of  the  ball  so  as  to  stop  a  long  pass  from  one 
of  your  side  from  passing  up  to  an  opponent  who  is 
clear,  thus  preventing  its  return  and  placing  it  in 
position  for  some  one  of  3'our  side  to  take  along. 
Another  play  is  deliberately  to  dribble  the  ball 
toward  your  own  goal  so  as  to  elude  the  rush  of 
an  oncoming  ()pi)onent,  and  then  to  turn  on  it,  pass- 
ing it  or  backing  it  as  the  case  may  be.  There  are 
times  wdien  both  these  devices  are  extremely  eft'ective. 

Liftmgthe  '  To  lift  the  ball  one  leans  so  as  to  swing  the  mallet 

ball.  head  nearer  the  ground  and  hits  a  little  bit  sooner 

on  the  forward  stroke  and  later  on  the  back  stroke. 
I  have  also  found  that  a  slight  cut  helps  me  to 
raise  the  ball ;  why,  T  don't  know.  I  am  not  a  be- 
liever, however,  in  hitting  into  the  air.     Where  one 


Use  op  the  Mallet  71 

is  aiming  for  the  goal  an<l  there  are  players  inter- 
posing, a  small  mathematical  calculation  will  show 
that  the  chance  of  having  a  ball  blocked  at  the 
height  of  the  horse's  body  is  many  times  greater 
than  along  the  ground,  where  only  the  legs  and  feet 
of  the  ponies  are  in  the  way. 

Greater  distance  may  be  obtained  by  raising  the 
ball,  thereby  lessening  friction,  but  when  the  ball 
falls  it  bounces  so  that  it  is  more  ditticult  for  a 
rider  in  front  to  pick  it  up.  A  great  distance  is  use- 
ful only  when  the  ball  is  hit  up  by  the  backs,  either 
on  forward  or  back  strokes.  A  back  who  raises 
the  ball  slightly  gets  the  greatest  distance ;  and  the 
back  who  places  it  so  as  to  be  avoided  by  oncoming 
players  is  of  greatest  use  to  his  side. 

One  often  sees  players  who  habitually  miss  their 
last  stroke  for  goal  after  carrying  the  ball  success- 
fully for  several  strokes.  This  is  usually  due  to 
their  taking  the  eye  off  the  ball  to  sight  for  the 
posts  and  not  getting  it  back  to  the  ball  in  time. 
Care  should  be  taken  to  remedy  this  defect  where 
it  develops. 

I  consider  it  to  be  bad  polo  to  knock   the  ball    Knocking  out 
over  the  back  line  anywhere  outside  the  posts.  is  bad  polo. 

I  always  carry  the  loop  of  the  mallet  over  the 
wrist — never  over  the  thumb.  When  placed  over  the 
wrist  the  mallet  may  be  spun  around  a  few  times 
to  twist  the  loop  so  it  will  not  fall  down  over  the 
hand  when  the  hand  is  held  down ;  but  it  should  not 
be  twisted  enough  to  bind  on  the  wrist. 

When  not  hitting,  the  mallet  should  always  be 
carried  perpendicularly,  and  with  the  head  up  ex- 
cept when  it  is  pretty  certain  that  a  lialf  stroke  will 
be  needed  shortly.  A  moment's  thought  will  dis- 
close the  necessity  of  this,  from  the  point  of  view 


72 


As  TO  Polo 


Carry  the 
mallet  in 
lierpeiulicular. 


Crooking. 


Riding  is  better 
than  crooking. 


Use  of  mallet 
to  protect  one's 
head  and  pony. 


of  saving  the  muscles  of  the  hand  and  arm,  for,  no 
matter  how  easy  the  phiy,  it  is  a  strain  to  hold  the 
stick  throughout  the  hour  of  play.  The  stick  should 
be  perpendicular  because  that  is  the  easiest  way 
to  hold  it.  It  takes  almost  no  muscle  to  balance 
it,  and  it  takes  muscle  to  hold  it  in  any  other  way 
except  with  the  head  directly  down ;  but  when  held 
in  this  position  the  mallet  is  of  no  use  when  the 
time  comes  to  hit  a  lull  stroke,  as  it  has  to  be 
raised  to  the  perpendicular  before  the  stroke. 

Especial  care  should  be  taken  to  learn  how  to 
crook  an  opponent's  mallet  successfully.  Players 
should  remember  that  a  stroke  spoiled  is  equal  in 
value,  although  opposite  in  effect,  to  a  stroke  made. 
The  clever  use  of  the  stick  to  spoil  one's  opponent's 
strokes  is  an  asset  easy  to  obtain,  and  it  is  a  part  of 
the  necessary  equipment  of  a  first-class  polo  player. 

I  have  found  that  to  crook  successfully  it  is  wise 
to  hold  the  mallet  with  the  outer  end  of  the  head 
up  in  order  that  the  opponent's  mallet  striking 
the  slope  of  the  head  may  be  brought  into  the  stick 
and  thus  caught.  Wherever  possible  the  mallet 
should  be  crooked  either  at  the  beginning  of  the 
stroke  or  before  the  head  has  swung  below  the  hori- 
zontal, as,  if  caught  at  the  point  where  the  mallet 
strikes  the  ball,  the  impact  is  apt  to  ruin  both  sticks. 

There  are  so  many  chances  in  crooking  that  as  a 
general  rule  of  play  I  should  personally  recommend 
no  player  to  crook  the  opponent's  mallet  in  prefer- 
ence to  riding  his  man  if  he  is  in  position  to  do  so. 

In  playing,  remember  that  ponies  are  apt  to  get 
discouraged  by  being  hurt  by  a  stroke  of  the  stick, 
particularly  at  the  beginning  of  their  play.  The 
player  should  so  use  his  stick  as  to  defend  his  head 
as  well  as  his  pony.    He  should  so  hold  it  as  to  catch 


Use  of  the  Mallet  73 

auy  stroke  liable  to  land  on  the  pony's  head,  and 
also  to  fend  oft'  strokes  liable  to  get  by  and  strike 
him  in  the  nose,  and,  when  necessary,  the  legs, 
althongh  the  legs  are  ordinarily  protected  by  the 
boots — and  strokes  on  the  feet  do  not  matter.  It 
is  the  whip  at  the  end  of  the  stroke  that  ordinarily 
does  the  damage  both  to  the  man  and  beast,  and  it 
is  always  well  to  remember  this  and  try  to  protect 
the  face  and  eye  by  holding  the  stick  conveniently. 
I  never  nse  the  mallet  for  defense,  however,  when 
it  may  be  needed  for  strokes. 

While  great  strength  is  not  necessary  for  polo,  strengthening 
lis  seme  slight  men  of  no  great  physical  strength  the  hand  and 
are  among  the  best  players,  at  the  same  time  it  can  wrist, 
be  readily  understood  that  strength  of  the  hand  is  of 
the  ntmost  importance.  Players  who  have  not  strong 
hands  should  take  regular  exercises  calculated  to 
strengthen  the  grip  of  the  hand,  wrist,  and  forearm. 
There  are  machines  for  this  purpose,  to  be  found  in 
well-appointed  gymnasiums,  and  I  believe  devices 
can  be  purchased  by  which  the  grip  of  the  hand  is 
worked  against  a  spring.  Regular  exercise  of  this 
kind  will  undoubtedly  help.  People  do  not  often 
realize  that  the  body  can  be  developed  to  almost 
any  degree  by  concentrating  attention  upon  the  de- 
sired point,  and  a  strong  grip  and  strong  forearm 
will  be  of  inestimable  value  to  players. 


CHAPTER  VII 
TEAM  PLAY 

Cosmos  of  the  The  cosmos  of  polo  is  difficult  to  understand  be- 

P^^y-  cause  of  the  kaleidoscopic  nature  of  the  game  and 

the  fact  that  with  each  changing  stroke  the  whole 
order  of  the  game  may  be  changed.  This  is  inherent 
in  the  nature  of  the  game,  owing  to  the  rapidity  of 
the  movement  of  the  ball  and  of  the  players.  It  is 
none  the  less  true  that  there  is  a  very  definite 
cosmos,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  difficult  to  grasp 
makes  it  more  subtle,  more  intricate,  anr],  perhaps 
all   the   more   important. 

To  determine  the  lines  of  greatest  efficiency  in 
pla^dng,  draw  the  polo  field  with  lines  radiating 
from  the  center  of  the  offensive  goal  line  and  run- 
ning straight  till  they  have  reached  the  sides,  draw- 
Fig.  1.  ing  no  lines,  however,  that  reach  the  side  lines 
nearer  the  nearest  corner  of  the  field  than  is  the 
line  from  the  center  of  the  goal  line  to  the  corner. 
If  the  field  were  straight-sided  this  would  leave  a 
right-angled  triangle,  which  should  be  shaded  or 
touched  to  a  difl'erent  color  to  indicate  that  it  is 
what  is  known  as  dead  territory.  In  Fig.  1  this 
section  is  shown  in  red,  so  called  because  it  is  out  of 
the  direct  line  of  attack  toward  the  goals,  and  it  is 
very  bad  polo  for  an  attacking  team  to  send  the 
ball  into  it  except  for  special  cause,  as  shown  else- 
where. 

The  lines  immediately  in  front  of  the  defensive 
goal  should  go  directly  toward  the  sides,  but  the 

74 


Team  Play  75 

farther  they  get  from  the  goal  line  the  more  they 
should  slant  forward  until  at  about  sixty  yards 
they  should  go  directly  up  the  field  and  toward  the 
offensive  goal.  These  lines  to  the  sides  should  curve 
toward  the  offensive  goal  as  they  approach  the 
side  lines  until  they  merge  with  the  direct  lines  ra- 
diating out  from  the  goal.  The  field  will  now  be 
covered  with  a  series  of  lines  taking  a  general  pear 
shape. 

These  lines  indicate  the  correct  line  of  travel  for 
the  ball.  With  a  few  exceptions,  to  be  noted  later, 
all  strokes  that  cut  these  lines  are  bad  polo;  all 
strokes  that  parallel  these  lines  are  good  polo. 

There  are  three  factors  which  control  the  position   Position  of 
of  the  players.    The  first  is  the  direction  of  the  play,   i>i'iyer.s. 
which   in   turn   is   controlled   by   the   position   and 
movement  of  the  ball.     The  second  is  the  spacing   Fig.  24. 
or  position  of  the  players  on  their  own  side.     The 
third  is  the  position  of  the  opponents,  particularly 
the  corresponding  one. 

To  make  myself  entirely  clear,  I  will  state  that   Defluitiou  of 
the  corresponding  opponent  of  No.  1  is  No.  4;  the   term 
corresponding  opponent  of  No.  2  is  No.  3 ;  of  No.  3,   "corresponding 

n     ,       1  -,  1  1  opponents. 

No.  2;  and  of  No.  4,  >.o.  1,  and  should  be  so.  under- 
stood wherever  reference  is  made  to  a  corresponding 
opponent.  It  does  not  always  follow  that  the  corre- 
sponding opponent  will  be  the  man  who  ought  to  be 
at  that  position.  I  am  talking  now  always  of  the 
man  who  is  in  that  position;  for  instance,  if  in  the 
exigencies  of  play  the  opposing  No.  1  and  No.  3 
change  places.  No.  2's  position  will  then  be  to  play 
against  the  opposing  No.  1. 

Taking  these  three  controlling  factors  up  in  order, 
the  player  should  figure  in  his  mind's  eye  the  defi- 
nite  location   of   a    "right   of   wav"   which   extends   Right  of  way. 


76  As  TO  Polo 

Fig.  2.  along  a  line  drawn  through  the  center  of  the  ball, 

and,  following  the  direction  it  is  going,  reaches  from 
ten  to  forty  feet  in  front  of  the  ball,  according 
to  the  speed  of  the  play,  and  trails  along  behind 
it  an  indefinite  distance.  This  right  of  way  is  four 
or  five  feet  wide,  or  the  amount  of  room  taken  up 
by  the  pony  and  a  man  with  a  clear  swing  of  the 
mallet  about  one  foot  to  the  side  of  the  ball. 

The  secret  of  team  play  is  for  a  team  to  get 
<|uickly  into  this  right  of  way  the  moment  it  is 
made  possible  by  the  movement  of  the  ball  and 
then  come  along  with  such  speed  as  to  maintain  it, 
each  player  covering  that  section  of  the  right  of 
way  which  pertains  to  his  iiosition,  and  at  the  same 
time  preventing  his  corresponding  opponent  from 
getting  the  ball. 

The  best  way  to  teach  jjlayers  to  respect  the 
right  of  way  is  to  let  them  understand  tliat  the 
man  who  has  it  will  come  down  it  at  railroad 
Maintaining  sj)eed,  that  it  is  as  disastrous  to  cross  it  as  it  is 
right  of  way.  to  cross  a  railroad  track  with  an  express  train  com- 
ing. With  the  coming  of  automobiles,  the  process 
of  natural  selection  will  eliminate  those  hens  that 
try  to  rush  across  the  road,  and  the  same  fate  awaits 
the  man  who  does  not  respect  the  right  of  way 
in  good  polo,  as  he  will  get  killed  or  cursed  off  the 
field  before  he  has  been  at  it  many  hours.  All  play- 
ers who  are  outside  of  the  line  of  play,  except  when 
they  have  moved  out  to  cover  an  opponent  so  as  to 
keep  him  out  of  it,  are  out  of  place  and  of  no  use 
to  their  team.  This,  however,  does  not  apply  to 
players  who,  under  signal  or  preconcerted  arrange- 
ment, are  placing  themselves  for  a  diagonal  pass. 
Any  player  who  gallops  parallel  to  another  man  of 
his  own  side  is  absolutely  worthless  to  his  team,  as 


the  ball 
around. 


Team  Play  77 

under  no  usual  combination  of  circumstances  can 
the  ball  be  expected  to  pass  sideways  from  the  line 
which  it  is  traveling;  and  anyone  finding  himself 
riding  in  this  way  should  immediately  either  pull 
up  or  call  to  the  other  man  to  do  so. 

Players  should  never  carry  the  ball  around  the  Dont carry 
field,  except  to  defend  goal  or  to  avoid  hitting  it 
to  one  of  the  opponents  who  is  clear  and  not  cov- 
ered by  one  of  his  own  side.  In  the  latter  case  the 
ball  should  be  dribbled  around  with  short  strokes, 
preferably  not  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  to 
a  stroke.  Hitting  long  strokes  around  the  fields 
has  many  disadvantages,  but  only  one  possible  ad- 
vantage. The  possible  advantage  comes  in  the  case 
of  a  very  brilliant  hitter  who  has  a  pony  so  very 
much  faster  than  any  pony  on  the  field  that  he  can, 
by  hitting  it  far,  get  clear  for  the  second  stroke, 
being  hard  pressed  at  the  time  he  first  hits  the  ball. 
This  condition  is  so  infrequent  that  it  may  be  dis- 
regarded. The  disadvantages  are,  first,  that  the 
play  does  not  bring  one  any  nearer  to  the  goal 
which  is  sought ;  secondly,  that  the  second  stroke 
is  at  a  difficult  angle  and  must  be  taken  either  by 
turning  the  pony  and  hitting  across  the  line  of  the 
ball  or  by  hitting  the  ball  at  a  sharp  angle.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  third  stroke,  and,  when  the  ball 
is  afterwards  brought  around,  the  goal  often  has  to 
be  made  at  a  difficult  angle.  Besides  the  difficulty 
of  completing  the  play,  it  is  one  which  is  so  easy  to 
stop  that  an  experienced  player  is  seldom  guilty  of 
attempting  it.  A  trained  opponent  will  character- 
ize it  as  "fruit,"  and,  sizing  up  the  fact  that  he  has 
an  inexperienced  man  to  deal  with,  will  start  across 
the  field  to  intercept  the  next  stroke  before  the 
man  who  made  the  stroke  gets  there.    The  opponent 


78 


As  TO  Polo 


Spacing. 

No  two 
players  of  one 
side  to  be 
together. 

Exception. 


can  usually  start  across  first  because  the  mau  who 
takes  the  ball  around  has  to  complete  his  stroke 
before  he  can  turn  his  pony,  whereas  the  opponent 
can  start  as  soon  as  he  sees  where  it  is  intended 
to  send  the  ball,  and,  judging  the  relative  speed  of 
the  ponies,  he  can  so  direct  his  course  as  to  inter- 
cept the  ball  at  any  point  in  the  circle  which  he 
feels  he  can  reach.  By  getting  there  well  ahead 
of  the  man  who  hit  the  ball  across,  he  can  break 
up  the  whole  play  and  very  likely  get  the  ball  and 
turn  it  to  his  own  advantage.  Other  things  being 
equal,  if  I  see  any  of  my  opponents  in  a  match  de- 
velop the  practice  of  taking  the  ball  around,  I  know 
that  they  are  certainly  doomed  to  defeat. 

In  regard  to  spacing,  this  most  important  item  of 
polo  seems  to  be  very  difficult  to  impress  upon  be- 
ginners. A-  fundamental  rule  of  team  play  is  that 
no  two  players  of  the  same  side  should  be  near  or* 
on  the  ball  at  the  same  time.  The  only  exception 
to  this  rule  is  in  case  of  a  man  riding  up  to  keep 
an  opponent  whom  he  is  covering  from  getting  the 
ball,  in  which  case  he  is  covering  his  man  and  not 
riding  for  the  ball.  Even  when  covering  an  oppos- 
ing player,  if  the  ball  is  standing  still  and  the 
players  in  front  'are  standing  over  it  and  jabbing 
at  it,  he  had  much  better  let  his  corresponding 
player  ride  in  and  have  a  whack  at  it  than  to  go  in 
himself  and  join  the  mess.  If  a  player  lets  the  op- 
])()nents  bunch  and  then  pulls  up  and  takes  his 
]iosition,  when  the  ball  is  hit  out,  the  side  which 
is  spaced  has  three  men  that  may  get  it,  whereas 
the  side  which  is  not  spaced  has  two.  If  two  of 
these  three  players  were  covering  their  men  as  they 
ought  to  be  doing,  it  means  that  the  player  who  is 
free  will  get  the  ball   and   have  a   clear  run   of   it. 


Team  Play 


79 


Fig.  24. 


Players  should  understand  that   they  cannot   help 

one  of  their  own  side  who  is  on  the  ball  except  by   Three  ways 

doing  one  of  three  things — by  putting  themselves   of  helping 

in  the  place  to  which  the  next  stroke  will  send  the   ""essule. 

ball ;  by  coming  right  behind  to  take  it  in  case  it  is 

missed,   always   being  careful   to   stay   far  enough 

back  to   cover  the  corresponding  opponent;   or  by 

riding   an   opponent   and   keeping   him   out   of   the 

play. 

The  distance  the  players  should  space  from  each  Spacing 
other  varies  greatly  with  conditions.  It  depends  dif^tanco. 
upon  the  length  of  stroke  of  the  man  with  whom 
you  are  playing,  upon  the  speed  of  play,  and  upon 
the  position  occupied  by  the  opponents.  The  exact 
point  where  the  man  should  leave  his  opponent  and 
ride  back  or  forward  to  get  his  spacing  is  a  thing 
which  is  very  hard  to  determine  by  rule  and  must 
depend  upon  the  player's  judgment,  and  his  de- 
cision will  differ  according  to  the  speed,  skill,  and 
mounts  of  himself  and  opponents,  and  to  the  style  of 
play  of  the  particular  man  from  whom  he  is  spacing, 
the  distance  of  his  strokes,  etc.  It  also  depends  very 
largely  upon  the  other  players  of  the  same  side. 
For  instance,  if  No.  2  has  an  extremeh'  active  and 
alert  Xo.  1,  who  is  quite  likely  to  turn  and  get  the 
ball  first  in  case  the  opposing  back  and  he  ride  over 
it  and  he  finds  that  No.  3  on  the  other  side  likes 
to  ride  close  up,  supporting  his  man  from  too  close 
a  distance,  Xo.  2  may  elect  to  ride  in  with  the  op- 
posing No.  3  and  break  up  his  support  of  his  team, 
confident  that,  if  No.  4  or  No.  3  of  his  own  side  get 
the  ball  back,  his  No.  1  will  turn  it  to  offensive 
account.  The  merit  of  this  play  also  depends  upon 
the  part  of  the  field  in  which  it  occurs.  Where  his 
goal  is  threatened.  No.  2  should  always  ride  in  and 


80 


As  TO  Polo 


Fig.  6. 


Don't  support 
your  side  from 
too  close. 


Trailini 


block  the  opposing  No.  :>.  If,  however,  the  goal 
is  not  threatened  and  the  play  is  well  up  in  the 
field,  and  he  thinks  No.  3  is  riding  up  too  close.  No. 
2  may  lurk  the  proper  distance  back  to  receive  the 
ball. 

One  team  that  I  have  seen  play,  which  has  ex- 
cellent team  work,  always  has  No.  2  lurk  away  back 
on  the  defense,  counting  on  No.  3  and  No.  4  getting 
tlie  ball  back  to  him.  This,  however,  is  counting  on 
erroneous  play  on  the  part  of  the  opposing  No.  3, 
who,  if  he  knows  his  business,  will  pull  up  and  in- 
stead of  following  close  to  his  No.  2,  will  support 
him  from  a  space  of,  say,  five  j^ards  or  so  in  front  of 
his  lurking  opponent,  whose  offensive  value  will 
thus  be  nullified.  No.  3,  so  j)laying,  would  be 
pretty  sure  to  get  the  ball  in  case  the  opposing  No.  4 
sends  it  well  back,  and  he  still  would  be  in  position 
to  come  through  on  it  in  case  the  two  pairs  in  front 
ride  over  it. 

Supporting  one's  own  players  by  following  too 
close  is  also  dangerous.  Many  runs  are  spoiled 
by  the  ball  bouncing  in  the  air.  If  the  ball  bounces 
and  hits, the  stick  it  is  pretty  sure  to  go  sideways. 
If  a  player  is  following  the  man  in  front  too  closely 
and  the  ball  hits  the  stick  and  goes  a  little  to  one 
side  or  hits  the  pony's  feet  and  stops  or  bounces 
back  (as  it  is  very  apt  to  do  when  two  players  are 
riding  each  other  over  it),  the  checked  movement 
of  the  ball  will  throw  a  closely  pursuing  player 
entirely  out.  If  the  corresponding  opponent,  riding 
farther  back,  is  not  covered,  he  will  come  along 
and  get  the  ball.  Thus,  No.  2,  for  example,  trailing 
along,  expecting  his  No.  3  or  his  No.  4  to  send 
the  ball  back  or  ride  over  it  and  leave  it  for  him 
to  take,  should  ride  with  his  eve  alternatelv  watch- 


Team  Play 


81 


ing  the  players  in  front  and  the  opposing  No.  ?>. 
who  shonld  be  beside  or  behind  him.  He  should  Fig.  24. 
pull  up  and  so  space  himself  as  not  to  be  thrown 
entirely  out  by  a  sideways  movement  or  check  of 
the  ball.  At  the  same  time,  if  the  ball  is  sent  well 
back,  he  will  cover  the  opposing  No.  3  and  not 
leave  him  riding  clear  so  that  he  can  get  the  ball. 
In  other  words,  the  spacing  in  a  case  like  that  is 
controlled  almost  entirely  by  the  position  of  the 
corresponding  player  on  the  other  side,  unless  he  is 
so  ridiculously  far  back  as  to  be  out  of  place. 

In  play  of  average  speed,  30  to  35  yards  is  fair   Secret  of 
spacing.     Players  should  always  begin  to  get  ner-   team  play. 
vous  the  minute  they  begin  to  get  within  15  yards 
of  any  of  their  side.     The  secret  of  effective  team   Make  it  the 
work  in   any  game  is  so  to  direct  your  play  that    otlier  fellow's 
the  fault  will  be  less  with  you  than  with  any  other  ^'^"^*- 
player ;  in  other  words,  be  sure  to  do  your  part. 

Many  players,  particularly  those  who  have  re- 
cently begun  the  game,  get  what  is  known  as  ''ball 
crazy."  They  have  one  idea  fixed  in  their  heads, 
and  that  is  the  ball ;  they  must  be  on  it  all  the  time.  Ball  crazy. 
They  can  not  realize  that  a  man  can  be  of  any  use 
to  his  team  unless  he  is  hitting  the  ball.  One  of 
the  commonest  manifestations  of  this  mania  is  the 
practice  of  backing  the  ball  when  the  opponents 
have  hit  it  so  that  it  is  about  to  roll  over  the  back 
line.  Good  players  always  let  it  roll  over.  It  means 
that  the  whole  team  will  get  their  ponies  turned 
and  get  ready  for  the  offensive  rush  before  the  ball 
is  hit  rather  than  afterwards.  The  knock  in  is  al- 
most certain  to  be  a  better  stroke  than  a  back  stroke 
when  the  ball  is  moving  with  the  uncertainty  of 
bouncing,  etc.  All  the  arguments  are  in  favor  of 
letting  the  ball  go  out.    Also  the  opponent's  safety 


82 


As  TO  Polo 


A  stroke 
spoiled  is  a 
stroke  made. 


Know  wliere 
yoxir  corre- 
sponding 
opponent  is. 


Fis.  24. 


Riding  off. 


should  be  allowed  to  go  over  except  in  the  excep- 
tional circnnistance  of  a  good  shot  at  goal  as  it 
rolls  or  in  the  event  of  the  last  few  minntes  of  a 
game  where  a  goal  is  needed  to  win  and  the  ball 
can  be  placed  where  a  probable  goal  will  result. 

It  is  axiomatic  that  a  stroke  spoiled  is  equal  to 
a  stroke  made.  The  man  who  can  not  hit  the  ball 
w^ell  himself  may  very  easily  be  of  equal  use  to  his 
side  by  preventing  the  opponents  from  hitting  it. 
It  should  be  the  ambition  of  each  player,  however, 
to  do  a  little  bit  more  than  his  share,  to  be  a  little 
bit  better  than  the  corresponding  player  on  the  other 
side.  A  player  should  not  be  satisfied  to  be  an  en- 
tirely negative  quantity  neutralizing  the  work  of 
some  man  of  the  other  side;  he  should  also  be  a 
positive  force.  In  calculating  the  merit  of  a  player, 
however,  one  must  always  remember  that  no 
amount  of  brilliant  work  will  compensate  for  fail- 
ure to  cover  properly  the  corresponding  opponent. 
Thus  the  man  playing  No.  2  should  know  instinc- 
tively every  minute  of  the  time  just  where  the 
opposing  No.  3  is.  By  opposing  No.  3  I  mean,  as  I 
have  said  before,  the  man  playing  No.  3's  position. 
He  should  have  an  uncomfortable  feeling  that  it  is 
his  fault  every  time  the  opposing  No.  3  hits  the  ball. 
If  he  is  supporting  his  own  man,  the  distance  he  fol- 
lows him  up  must  be  controlled  by  the  position  the 
opposing  No.  3  is  playing. 

There  are  two  ways  of  riding  oif.  One  is  to  watch 
the  corresponding  opponent  and  play  your  pony 
so  as  to  cover  his  every  movement.  The  other  is 
to  play  for  the  ball  and,  having  first  placed  yourself 
where  you  can  reach  it  before  your  opponent,  get 
there  first  when  the  time  comes,  watching  his  every 
movement  and  making  sure  that  you  are  constantly 


Team  Play  83 

holding  your  pony  in  such  a  position  as  to  cover  the 
point  from  whicli  the  corresponding  opponent  can 
be  liarmful  to  your  side.  When  the  time  for  the 
rush  comes,  however,  you  should  play  directly  for 
the  ball,  thus  putting  your  opponent  on  the  defens- 
ive and  making  him  ride  j'ou  instead  of  your  riding 
him,  but  guiding  yourself  by  covering  the  point  at 
which  he  can  be  harmful  to  j^our  side.  Both  methods 
must  be  used  from  time  to  time,  but  of  the  two  the 
latter  is  very  much  the  more  scientific  and  effective. 
It  really  compels  your  opponent  to  ride  j^ou  instead 
of  your  riding  him.  It  puts  the  burden  of  effort  on 
him.  It  is  the  old  story  that  strong  offense  is  the 
strongest  defense.  I  use  both  methods.  If  I  have 
nothing  better  to  do  and  my  opposing  No.  3  is  not 
looking,  I  am  very  apt  to  place  my  pony  across  his 
or  place  myself  in  such  a  position  against  his  pony 
that  my  knee  is  in  front  of  his  knee.  This  is  the 
best  way  to  ride  off'.  You  want  so  to  arrange  that 
the  pressure  of  all  four  legs  of  your  pony  is  against 
the  forelegs  of  the  opponent's  pony.  This  makes 
a  pressure  of  four  against  two  and  means  that  you 
can  push  him  off  provided  your  pony  is  any  good 
at  pushing.  The  player  so  covered  will  undoubtedly 
try  to  extricate  himself.  Sometimes  it  is  well  to  let 
him,  having  delayed  him  for  some  time,  in  order  to 
give  him  another  similar  scrap  when  he  again  tries 
to  pass.  Sometimes  it  is  better  to  stay  by  him,  all 
depending  upon  circumstances.  If  he  is  so  far  out 
of  position  as  to  limit  his  usefulness,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  stay  with  him  at  the  expense  of  leaving  a 
gap  in  your  own  position.  If,  however,  he  is  in  his 
position,  then  your  proper  play  is  a  series  of  nuineu- 
vers  and  jockeying,  just  as  important  and  delicate 
as  tlie  jockeying  of  race  liorses  at   the  start   of  a 


84 


As  TO  Polo 


Nearest  man 
to  take  ball. 


Exception. 


The  throw  in. 


Fig.  3. 


race  or  the  maneuvering  for  position  at  the  start 
of  a  yacht  race. 

Each  player  should  try  to  be  a  little  in  front  of 
the  corresponding  opponent,  whichever  way  the  ball 
is  going.  If  he  does  this  successfully,  it  involves 
quick  work  when  the  ball  is  backed  and  the  direc- 
tion of  plaj'  turns  from  toward  one  goal  to  the 
other,  for  the  man  who  was  ahead  must  do  some 
sharp  riding  to  pass  his  man  as  he  turns,  and,  after 
turning,  to  get  once  more  to  his  coign  of  vantage. 

When  playing,  however,  the  rules  as  to  position 
have  to  give  waj-  to  immediate  need.  The  man  who 
is  nearest  the  ball  must  get  to  it,  even  though  out  of 
position,  rather  than  let  one  of  the  other  side  get 
it,  in  which  case  it  is  usually  necessary  for  the  man 
who  should  have  been  at  that  position  to  pass  and 
take  up  the  place  left  by  the  man  who  rides  to 
the  ball.  This,  however,  is  qualified  by  the  ueces- 
sit}'  of  observing  whether  the  man  who  is  in  place 
is  in  position  to  get  the  ball.  For  instance,  sup- 
pose two  players  of  one  side  both  can  reach  the  ball 
before  one  of  the  opi^onents,  it  is  clearly  the  duty 
of  one  or  the  other  to  take  the  ball,  and  the  one 
who  does  not  take  it  should  pull  up  or  ride  on  and 
take  his  position,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  he 
may  be  able  to  get  the  ball  first,  unless  the  advan- 
tage to  be  gained  is  so  manifest  as  to  justify  chang- 
ing positions  and  the  change  is  called  and  accepted. 

A  player,  however,  should  always  stay  by  any 
opponent  whom  he  has  covered,  if  such  opponent 
is  in  position  to  be  in  immediate  danger  to  the 
play. 

(Jn  the  throw  in  No.  1,  Xo.  ii,  and  Xo.  3  should 
be  on  their  side  of  the  liue  with  their  ponies  facing 
diagonally   toward   the   line,   generally   toward   the 


Team  Play  85 

referee;  No.  4  should  take  up  a  place  ready  for  an 
offensive  or  defensive  rush  half  way  between  No.  2 
and  No.  3,  and  from  ten  to  fifteen  yards  away  from 
the  line,  ready  to  gallop  directly  back  in  case  any  of  Positions  and 
the  front  players  of  the  opposing  side  get  the  ball,  <^" ties  of 
and  he  should  rush  for  it  himself  in  case  the  ball 
rolls  past  No.  3.  No.  3  in  this  case  should  follow 
defensively  in  case  his  No.  4  gets  it,  holding  him- 
self readj'  to  ride  back  in  case  the  rush  should  be 
unsuccessful  and  leave  the  ball  exposed  to  any  of 
the  opponents.  When  the  ball  is  thrown  in,  the 
player  should  drive  his  pony  fiercely  at  it  as  though 
the  whole  game  depended  on  it,  trying  to  push  his 
pony  across  the  line.  I  have  often  swung  at  the 
ball,  timing  my  stroke  to  the  movement  of  the  ball, 
hoping  to  hit  it  as  it  passed  under,  without  seeing 
it,  and  often  have  found  the  result  was  a  good 
sharp  stroke  down  the  field.  Don't  slash  reck- 
lessly with  your  mallet,  as  it  is  too  likely  to  hit 
one  of  your  opponents.  Players  should  always 
be  considerate  of  the  chance  of  a  mallet  head  reach- 
ing an  opponent  and  try  to  avoid  such  contingencies. 

Each  player  failing  to  get  the  ball  should  see 
that  his  vis-a-vis  does  not  get  it.  Once  the  ball  has 
passed,  however,  he  can  ride  to  his  position,  which 
should  always  be  in  a  line  up  and  down  the  field. 
The  moment  the  ball  has  passed  No.  1  he  should  ride 
instantly  to  the  opposing  back,  riding  fast  so  as  to 
get  there  in  case  No.  2  or  No.  3  should  send  the 
ball  up  to  him. 

When  the  ball  is  hit,  all  players  should  figure 
in  their  mind's  eye  the  line  of  the  right  of  way 
and  either  get  into  it  or  get  parallel  to  and  ahead 
of  one  of  tlie  opposing  players,  so  as  to  be  in  position 
to  neutralize  his  efforts. 


the  essence  of 
good  play. 


86  As  TO  Polo 

Hitting  The  essence  of  first-rate  play  is  hitting  the  ball 

traight  to  goal  straight  down  the  field.  In  first-rate  polo  the  ball 
will  be  traveling  perpendicularly  up  and  down  the 
field  at  a  maximum  and  across  the  field  at  a  min- 
imum. It  is  well  for  players  to  train  themselves 
always  to  play  the  best  polo,  which  means  taking 
the  ball  up  and  down  the  field  and  backing  it  when 
it  is  desired  to  turn  it  rather  than  taking  it  around. 

Xo.  3  or  No.  4  may  do  the  knocking  in  according 
The  knock  in.  to  which  is  the  stouter  hitter.  The  ball  should 
always  be  knocked  away  from  the  goal  and  toward 
the  side  boards.  The  rush  for  the  attack  should  start 
Fig.  4.  from  the  side  boards,  never  from  the  center,  where 

any  miss  or  block  would  leave  the  goal  in  danger. 
The  balance  of  chance  is  all  against  the  team  whose 
goal  is  threatened.  Hit  to  the  sides  and  then  start 
the  rush  for  the  opposing  goal  from  the  side  lines 
or  from  a  point  near  the  sides  where  the  team  is 
in  position  to  get  a  good  start  down  the  field.  When 
No.  4  knocks  in,  No.  3  should  place  himself  about 
ten  yards  in  the  field  and  between  the  ball  and  the 
goal  posts,  and  let  No.  4  ride  through  on  his  first 
stroke.  No.  3  staying  back  to  defend  in  case  any 
return  of  the  ball  threatens  the  goal.  He  should 
follow  No.  4  up  in  case  the  latter  hits  the  second 
stroke,  in  order  not  to  be  too  far  out  of  the  play. 
Keene,  however,  believes  No.  3  should  play  well  out. 

No.  2  should  place  himself  next  to  the  boards, 
well  back  toward  the  goal  line,  and  should  pick  up 
No.  4's  hit  as  it  strikes  the  side  boards  and  en- 
deavor to  carry  it  down  the  field. 

No.  1  should  place  himself  alongside  of  the  op- 
posing No.  4  and  stick  to  him  like  a  leech. 

Crane  suggests  a  line-up  for  a  knock  in  in  which 
No.  3  takes  up  a  position  about  half  way  between 


Team  Pi.ay  87 

the  ball  and  No.  1'.  This  i>uts  the  team  in  regular 
position  and  sends  the  whole  team  down  the  field 
on  the  ball.  This  formation  has  much  to  commend  it. 

The  knock  in  may  be  varied  by  a  series  of  plays  Variations 
called  for  by  signal.  One  of  these  is  to  have  the  of  knock  In. 
No.  2  take  his  position  near  the  side  boards  and 
close  to  the  back  line ;  instead  of  No.  4  knocking  in, 
No.  2  gallops  very  rapidly  across  and  comes  at  the 
ball,  going  at  full  speed,  and  hits  it  across  goal  to 
No.  8,  who  has  left  his  position  in  front  of  the  posts 
and  has  gone  out  to  pick  it  up.  No.  4  follows  No. 
2  to  carry  the  ball  along  in  case  No.  2  hits  poorly 
or  misses.  In  this  case  No.  o,  No.  2,  and  ^o.  4  are 
in  line  on  the  ball,  going  at  full  speed,  a  combina- 
tion particularly  well  adapted  to  a  successful  and 
aggressive  attack.  This  may  be  varied,  if  the  other 
side  get  rushing  across  the  field  to  meet  this  play 
as  soon  as  they  see  No.  2  starting  to  gallop,  by 
having  No.  4  wait  behind  the  posts  and  No.  2  make 
a  feint  to  hit  the  ball  and  pass  over  it  while  No.  4 
waits  until  he  has  passed  and  then  knocks  it  out 
toward  the  side  boards  as  in  the  regular  knock  in, 
and  follows  it  up  to  take  it  along  down  the  boards. 
When  the  opponents  are  well  under  way  across  the 
field  into  the  cross-goal  territory.  No.  3  and  No.  2 
turn  to  get  back,  if  possible  before  the  opponents, 
and  thus  support  their  No.  4.  No.  1  in  this  play 
never  starts  across  at  all  and  waits  to  pick  the  ball 
up  in  case  No.  4  sends  it  down  the  field  successfully. 

Other  variations  of  this  play  may  be  tried  success- 
fully. One  of  them  is  for  No.  4  to  hit  the  ball  along 
the  back  line  and  No.  2  to  pass  it  out  diagonally 
and  cross  the  field  where  No.  3  can  be  waiting  for 
it.  Under  no  circumstances  should  a  team  make 
any  play  that  does  not  have  the  resultant  object  of 


88  As  TO  Polo 

starting  a  rush  to  goal  from  fairly  close  to  the  side 
lines. 

Knock  in  by  Where  the  opposing  side  is  knocking  in.  No.   1 

opponents.  should  ride  in  and  try  to  meet  the  ball  from  about 

30  yards  out. 

No.  2  should  be  out  toward  goal  to  take  the  ball 
if  it  is  passed  to  him  and  also  to  defend  in  case 
an  attempt  is  made  to  knock  in  across  the  goal. 

No.  2's  position  will  vary  with  the  position  of 
the  ball  on  the  back  line;  if  it  is  near  the  boards 
he  will  take  a  position  slightly  to  the  side  of  the 
goal  from  a  line  through  the  ball  and  perpendic- 
ular to  the  back  line. 

No.  3  should  be  on  the  boards  defending  and  No. 
4  toward  the  boards  but  nearer  the  center  of  the  field 
and  a  little  farther  back  than  No.  3. 

The  corners.  AA^hen  the  ball  is  knocked  into  the  offensive  cor- 

ners, No.  2  is  clearly  the  man  who  should  ride  in. 

Fig.  22.  No.  1  or  No.  3  should  never  go  in  after  it  unless  they 

happen  to  be  next  to  the  opponent  who  has  the 
best  chance  to  get  the  ball  and  No.  2  is  not  in 
position  to  do  it  himself.  In  this  case,  No.  1  or 
No.  3  should  call  to  No.  2  that  he  is  riding  in,  so 
that  No.  2  will  not  do  so.  In  the  defensive  corners. 
No.  2  must  expect  to  go  in,  although  it  is  often 
No.  3's  duty  to  ride  in,  in  which  case  No.  2  takes 

Never  send  his  place  on  the  diagonal  line,  as  shown  in  Fig.  22. 

two  players  tv^^  ^^.q  players  of  the  same  side  should  ever  ride 
in,  either  to  get  the  ball  or  to  impede  an  opponent. 
The  rest  of  the  team  should  line  up  on  the  diagonal 
line  shown  in  Figs.  1  and  22  which  represents  the 
line  between  live  and  dead  territory,  and  take  po- 
sition, watching  for  the  ball  to  come  out. 

No.  I's  position  in  the  offensive  corners  is  nearest 
goal.  In  the  defensive  corners  this  position  is  usually 


atrain.st  one. 


Team  Play  89 

determiued  bj^  the  opposing  back,  but  iu  general  it 
can  be  said  to  be  near  the  side  lines  on  the  line 
between  dead  and  live  territory. 

The  team  should  understand  that  the  corners  of  Comers  are 
the  field  are  dead  territory,  and — unless  the  play   ^^^'^^^  territory, 
is  sent  into  the  corners  for  the  purpose  of  wasting 
time,  as  might  be  the  case  toward  the  end  of  a  game  Fig.  1. 
which  was  well  in  hand  and  in  which  the  ponies 
were  beginning  to  tire,  or  in  case  a  player  of  your 
side  lias  gone  to  get  a  new  stick  or  mount — that 
hitting  to  the  corners,  in  so  far  as  its  offensive  value 
to  the  team  is  concerned,  is  worse  than  not  hitting 
the  ball  at  all.     But  many  players,  particularly  be- 
ginners, seem  to  think  that  they  must  hit  the  ball,  Ball  crazy, 
even  though  the  stroke  they  make  is  from  the  goal 
they  are  trying  to  hit,  and  that  their  part  of  the 
play  is  done  if  they  hear  the  cragk  of  their  stick 
against  the  ball.     There  are  many  times  in   polo 
when  not  hitting  at  all  is  much  better  strategy  than 
hitting.      This  is  the  case  with  a  stroke  that  throws 
the  player  out  of  the  effective  line  of  play,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  1,  that  puts  the  player  at  a  point  where  the 
goal  is  at  a  difficult  angle  and  where  turning  the 
pony  to  get  a  shot  at  goal  makes  a  difficult  stroke,  or 
when  to  hit  the  ball  would  send  it  to  an  opponent    Fig.  10. 
who  is  clear,  or  when  one  of  his  own  side  is  in  a 
better  position  to  take  it. 

One  other  important  item  of  play  is  that  which  is  Hitting  short, 
commonly  known  as  "hitting  short."  Let  us  say 
that  No.  3  is  away  with  the  ball  and  that  No.  1 
and  liis  opposing  No.  4,  and  No.  2  and  his  opposing 
No.  o,  are  in  front  of  him.  No.  2  is  trying  to  cover 
his  corresponding  opponent  but  is  not  in  position 
to  do  so.  No.  3  is  on  the  ball  and  his  corresjionding 
opponent,   we  will   say,   is   lurking  behind   waiting 


DO  As  TO  Polo 

for  something  to  happen.  If  No.  3  hits  a  long  stroke, 
the  opposing  No.  o  or  No.  4  will  be  pretty  snre  to 
send  it  back,  but  by  hitting  it  a  short  stroke,  just 
up  to  the  tail  of  the  nearest  opposing  pony,  then 
going  n\)  on  it  fast,  he  puts  the  opposing  player 
in  the  uncomfortable  position  of  deciding  either  to 
pull  up,  in  which  case  he  will  make  a  rush  past  him. 
or  to  gallop  on  to  get  the  next  stroke,  in  wliich  case 
another  short  stroke  will  answer  the  purpose.  The 
only  way  such  a  play  can  be  properly  stopped  is  for 
the  No.  2  of  the  opposing  side  to  wake  up  to  his 
Defense  responsibilities  and  ride  up  and  block  the  play  from 

agaiust  hitting     behind;  in  otlier  words,  to  ride  his  man,  a  thing  he 
short.  ought  to  have  been  doing  all  the  time.     If  this  play 

is  a  good  one  when  the  men  in  front  are  partially 
covere<l.  it  is  still  better  where  a  player  finds  him- 
self by  chance  with  the  opposing  back  or  the  oppos- 
ing No.  3  uncovered.  Of  course,  the  defense  then 
is  for  the  uncovered  man  to  pull  up  and  immediately 
ride  the  man  who  has  made  the  short  stroke,  leaving 
Fig.  18.  it  to  the  players  behind  to  come  u])  and  get  the  ball, 

in  which  case  he  trusts  to  his  own  men  to  be  in 
place  and  do  their  part,  wliich  is  correct  polo 
strategy. 

One  of  the  most  important  items  of  team  play  is 
the  signaling  from  player  to  player,  which  it  is  very 
hard  to  get  even  experienced  players  to  do,  yet  in 
my  judgment  it  is  one  of  the  most  necessary  things 
for  successful  polo.  Foxhall  Keene  is  very  emphatic 
in  advising  against  much  use  of  voice  as  between 
players  and  says  in  the  best  polo  "the  game  goes  on 
without  words."  He  feels  that  much  calling  spoils 
the  game.  My  experience,  wholly  in  minor  games, 
has  been  just  the  opposite. 
Signaling.  J  use  the  following  general  calls,  and  while  I  am 


Team  Play  91 

constantly  calling  to  the  players  of  my  side,  I  am  at 
the  same  time  listening  for  their  words. 

The  most  important  signal  of  all  is  "Leave  it,"   -Leave  it." 
which  I  usually  repeat  very  loud  until  the  player 
has  obeyed,  saying  "Leave  it,''  "Leave  it,"  "Leave  it," 
"Leave  it."     This  is  a  direct  order  to  the  player  of 
your  side  not  to  hit  it,  and  should  never  be  given    When  used. 
because  the  man  who  calls  for  the  other  player  to 
leave  it  thinks  he  is  a  better  player,  but  only  because   Fig.  7. 
he  has  a  better  angle  on  the  ball  and  is  in  a  better 
position  to  hit  it,  or  because  there  is  an  opponenr.    Fig.  S. 
clear  in  front  who  will  get  the  ball  if  it  is  not  left 
but  is  hit  by  the  forward  player. 

"Go  ou"  should  never  be  used  when  "Leave  if   "Go  on." 
is  meant,  because  "Go  ou"  may  mean  to  go  ou  with 
the  ball  or  without  it.     "Go  ou"  should  be  used  by 
ever}'    player    who    is    on    the    ball    and    is    coming 
through  and  who  wants  the  other  players  of  his  side   Fig.  9. 
to  keep  on  in  the  direction  they  are  going.    It  should 
be  used  from  behind  by  the  man  who  is  hitting  the 
ball  or  by  the   man   who   fails  to   prevent   an   op- 
ponent hitting  the  ball.     For  instance,  if  in  a  de- 
fensive rush  No.  1  fails  to  ride  No.  4,  he  should  call 
his  side  to  "Go  on,"  particularly  if  he  sees  any  signs    Fig.  Id. 
that  his  No.  2  is  beginning  to  pull  up,  intending  to 
turn,  which  will  get  him  out  of  the  play. 

It  is  well  to  have  a  signal  to  indicate  when  there   Signal  to  use 
is  plenty  of  time.     Any  word  well  understood  by   wiien  there  is 
both  teams  will  serve,  such  as  "Plenty"  or  "Slowly."   P^^"*^  "^^  *'"^^- 
If  the  phrase  "Take  your  time"  is  used,  sometimes 
players  mistake  it  for  a  call  for  time  and  stop  play- 
ing.   It  makes  a  lot  of  difference  to  plaj-ers  to  know 
whether  they  are  hurried  or  not ;  whether,  for  ex- 
ample, they  will  have  time  to  turn  on  the  ball  or 
pull  up  their  pony,  or  wait  until  the  ball  has  stopped 


92  As  TO  Polo 

rolling  or  bring  their  stick  up  for  a  full  swing,  or 
wait  until  their  own  side  has  got  in  position  before 
hitting. 

"Ride  your  "Kide  your  man"  is  an  encouragement  to  a  player 

man."  which  ought  not  to  be  needed.    Every  player  ought 

to  ride  anyway  without  orders,  but  it  is  very  often 

Fip;.  11.  needed,  especially  among  beginners  and  among  men 

who  think  more  of  the  ball  than  they  do  of  the  team. 

•Turn."  When  the  ball  turns,  "Turn''  or  some  signal  un- 

derstood  by   the   team    should   be   called,    for   the 

Fig.  12.  benefit  of  players  in  front  who  can  not  see  or  who 

have  not  seen.  The  player  closest  to  the  ball  when 
it  turns  should  immediately  call  to  his  own  side  to 
turn. 

Allan  Forbes  suggests  that  another  word  be  used 
as  signal  to  tell  your  men  to  turn.  This  is  better,  as 
it  does  not  inform  the  other  side ;  "Look  out''  or 
"Hold  them"  might  serve. 

"I  am  next."  "I  am  next"  is  a  phrase  which  is  sometimes  useful. 

A  player  who  is  on  the  ball  should  know  if  one  of 

Fig.  1.3.  his  own  side  is  clear  and  next.    It  may  make  a  dif- 

ference in  the  style  of  his  play.  For  example,  jS^o.  2 
is  going  down  the  side  of  the  field  and  into  one  of 
the  corners,  and  he  does  not  know  whether,  if  he 
misses  it,  ^o.  3  of  his  side  will  get  it  or  it  will  go 
to  one  of  the  opposing  side.  He  can  not  take  his 
eye  off  the  ball  and  yet  his  stroke  will  depend  some- 
what on  whether  he  is  supported  or  not.  If  he 
knows  that  his  No.  3  is  there  to  get  the  ball  if  he 
misses  it,  he  will  try  a  much  more  difficult  turn 
stroke  to  get  it  in  line  toward  the  goal  than  he  would 
undertake  in  case  he  were  not  sure  but  that  the  ball 
would  go  to  the  other  side  if  he  missed.  Or  he  may 
make  a  turning  stroke,  placing  the  ball  where  he  can 
not  reach  it  again,  and  then  ride  on  to  pick  up  the 


Team  Play 


93 


Say  the  same 
thing  always 
the  same  way. 


ball  when  it  is  sent  along  to  him  by  his  supporting 
player  or  to  clear  the  way  by  riding  out  the  oppos- 
ing back  or  No.  3. 

The  signal  "Back  it"  is  also  used  under  certain    "Back  it." 
circumstances. 

In  the  Dedham  team  we  had  a  practice  of  using 
a  signal  when  we  wanted  tlie  ball  backed  or  were 
planning  to  back  the  ball  which  did  not  give  the 
play  away;  "Easy"  or  "Steady"  or  any  agreed-upon 
word  would  serve. 

Do  not  say  the  same  thing  in  different  ways ; 
say  it  in  the  same  way  always.  Do  not  say  "Go  on" 
when  you  mean  "Leave  it."  If  you  want  them  to 
go  on,  say  "Go  on."  If  you  want  them  to  leave  it, 
say  "Leave  it."  Do  not  give  the  gratuitous  informa- 
tion "I've  got  it"  or  "I  have  it,"  which  means 
nothing.  I  have  noticed  that  players  after  boast- 
ing to  that  extent  are  more  than  likely  to  lose  it. 
One  of  the  principal  uses  of  this  business  of  call- 
ing to  your  side  is  to  help  a  man  who  is  straining 
his  every  effort  to  ride  off'  an  opponent.  He  is 
timing  his  every  move  to  match  that  of  the  horse  of 
the  man  he  is  riding  off",  who,  if  he  plays  a  scientific 
game,  is  very  likely  to  pull  up  suddenly  and  cross 
behind  the  line  of  play  and  get  the  ball,  timing  his 
play  by  watching  when  his  opponent  is  looking 
around  to  see  what  is  happening  behind.  To  antici- 
pate this  and  not  be  put  at  a  disadvantage,  a  man 
has  to  watch  every  single  move  made  by  his  corre- 
sponding opponent.  If,  at  the  same  time,  he  has 
to  turn  around  and  keep  looking  backward,  to 
find  out  whether  the  ball  is  still  coming,  he  is  placed 
at  a  real  disadvantage.  If,  however,  he  can  depend 
upon  his  own  men  behind  him  to  call  "Go  on"  with 
each  stroke,  if  the  movement  of  the  play  continues. 


94  As  TO  Polo 

Fig.  9.  and  "Turn"  or  its  e(inivalent  the  second  the  direc- 

tion of  the  play  changes,  he  can  do  very  much  bet- 
Fig.  12.  ter  work  in  riding  off.  This  matter  of  keeping  yonr 
niei;  informed  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  least 
observed  items  of  team  play. 
Fig.  9.  In  a  recent  tournament,  I  saw  No.  4  come  through 
with  tlie  ball,  never  opening  his  mouth  to  let  liis 
team  know  that  he  had  got  it,  and  no  less  than 
live  players  pulled  up  and  turned,  assuming  that, 
because  No.  3  had  missed,  the  rush  had  ended. 
Three  of  these  players  were  of  the  attacking  side, 
and  No.  4's  rush  was  completely  nullified  by  the 
fact  that  he  had  to  go  through  alone — all  of  his  own 
players  having  given  up — this  being  entirely  due  to 
the  failure  on  his  part  to  let  them  know  before- 
hand what  he  himself  knew  and  could  perfectly  well 
have  told  them,  namely,  that  he  was  next  on  the 
ball. 

Of  course,  it  is  incumbent  upon  players  to  inform 
themselves  even  when  they  know  they  can  depend 
on  their  own  men ;  they  ought  to  look  around  some- 
times, even  going  so  far  as  to  turn  their  ponies  in 
default  of  instructions  from  the  men  behind.  But 
this  necessity  for  looking  around,  as  I  have  pointed 
out,  results  disastrously  to  tlie  best  riding  oft",  and 
the  players,  instead  of  keeping  on  confidently  at 
speed,  are  holding  in  and  expecting  any  minute  that 
tlie  time  to  turn  will  have  passed  without  their 
having  been  looking  at  that  particular  moment. 
In  case,  for  any  reason,  you  want  one  of  your 
'■Take  it."  own  side  to  take  the  ball,  say  "Take  it."    This  is  a 

direct  sharp  order  to  him  and  he  should  leave  his 
man,  even  against  his  better  judgment,  and  take 
the  ball. 

T  remember  that  in  one  very  difficult  match  I  was 


Team  Play  95 

playing  against  a  New  York  team  my  Xo.  1  had 
the  back  coyered  and  20  feet  off  to  one  side.  I  Fig.  ii. 
was  going  along  smoothly  with  nothing  to  prevent 
my  taking  the  ball  straight  to  goal,  which,  as  the 
score  was  tied — 13  all — and  we  were  playing  an 
extra  period,  would  have  won  the  game.  At  this 
juncture  my  mallet  head  broke.  I  heard  the  crack 
as  I  hit  the  ball,  and  looking  down,  saw  the  jagged 
crack  running  through  the  head  and  knew  it  would 
not  last  another  stroke.  I  called  to  my  No.  1  to 
''Take  it,"  and  galloped  hard  to  get  in  position  to 
cover  his  man  as  he  left  him.  A  poor  player  at  No. 
1  would  have  been  undertaking  to  leave  his  man 
anyway  so  as  to  get  a  whack  at  the  ball — an  inex- 
cusable play.  A  good  player,  not  thoroughly  dis- 
ciplined, would  have  looked  around  to  see  what 
the  matter  was  and  asked  an  explanation  before 
leaving  his  position,  but  this  man  happened  to  be 
properly  trained  and  instantly  rode  in  and  took  the 
ball,  without  asking  for  an  explanation,  the  result 
preventing  what  otherwise  would  have  been  disas- 
trous. 

In  a  scrimmage,  when  one  or  more  ponies  are 
standing,  players  on  the  outside  should  make  a 
point  of  telling  their  man  nearest  the  ball  where 
it  is,  as  "To  your  right,"  "Left,"  "Ahead  of  you," 
"Under  you,"  etc.  Often  a  man  a  little  way  off  can 
see  when  the  other  can  not.  It  is  well,  whenever 
the  ball  has  struck  a  pony's  legs  or  made  an  un- 
expected movement,  to  assume  that  your  num  has 
not  seen  it,  and  to  tell  him,  as  sometimes  an  oppor- 
tunity is  lost  by  reason  of  a  ball  perfectly  within 
reach  not  being  seen.  In  such  circumstances  also 
the  voice  of  the  player  gives  the  direction  and  lets 
his  man  know  his  whereabouts.     In  fact,  it  often 


96  As  TO  Polo 

pays  to  use  some  word  or  call  when  you  are  in 
position  to  receive  a  pass  to  help  the  j)layer  who 
is  making  the  stroke,  as  he  may  not  have  time  to 
look  around  to  see  where  you  are. 

In  order  to  assure  certainty  as  to  cooperation,  a 
player,  in  passing  out  of  his  position  to  take  that  of 
another,  should  speak.  For  instance,  Xo.  1  when 
riding  past  No.  2  should  say  "I  am  2."  Having 
said  so,  he  should  hold  that  position  and  assume  its 
responsibilities  and  be  ready  to  pass  with  No.  3  and 
not  go  back  to  his  position  without  passing  the  word 
again  to  Xo.  2  and  sajdng  "I  am  1."  Xo.  2  should 
then  accept  the  responsibility  by  replying.  AVhen 
Xo.  1  says  "I  am  2,"  Xo.  2  should  hold  Xo.  I's  po- 
sition until  a  favorable  opportunity  comes  to  pass, 
at  which  time  he  should  respond  to  Xo.  I's  calling 
"I  am  1"  by  replying  "I  am  2."  In  other  words, 
it  should  be  understood  and  expected  between  play- 
ers, after  a  change  of  position  has  been  made,  that 
each  should  assume  the  responsibility  of  the  position 
until  an  opportunity  comes  to  change  back,  when  the 
fact  of  changing  back  and  the  reversal  of  responsi- 
bility has  passed  by  word  of  mouth  between  the 
two.  Similarly  with  Xo.  3  and  Xo.  4  or  with  Xo. 
2  and  Xo.  3,  in  fact,  similarly  with  the  whole  team. 
The  team  It  is  unusual  for  this  practice  to  prevail  in  great 

mustn't  get  changes  of  players.    For  instance,  it  is  too  upsetting 

to  the  team  to  have  Xo.  1  as  far  out  of  place  as  at 
back,  which  probably  means  that  every  nmn  is  out 
of  his  place.  X'o.  1  probably  can  not  do  back's 
business  for  him  safely.  Unless  goal  is  threatened 
or  he  is  the  next  man  to  the  ball,  or  keeping  the 
Time  to  threatening  player  of  the  other  side  otf  the  ball,  he 

change.  should  go  right  back  to  place,  passing  the  word  as 

he  goes  back.     The  best  chance  to  change  back  to 


too  far  out  of 
place 


Team  Play  '  97 

position  comes  when  tlie  ball  goes  out  or  over  the 
boards,  or  when  it  is  backed  or  taken  around  the 
field. 

Every  stroke  should  be  made  with  a  definite  object.  Every  stroke 
The  player  should  get  it  into  his  head  that  there  with  an  object. 
are  two  points  of  equal  importance  to  the  stroke. 
One  is  the  point  of  beginning  and  the  other  is  the 
point  of  ending,   and  he  should  not  hit  the  first 
without  having  a  very  definite  idea  as  to  the  second. 
My  experience  has  led  me  to  believe  only  one  in 
about  five  strokes  can  be  made  at  full  speed  the 
full  distance  of  the  stroke.     This  conclusion,  how- 
ever, is  contested  by  men  whose  rating  and  experi- 
ence qualify  them  to  speak  as  masters  of  the  game. 
They  assure  me  that  in  the  fastest  polo  full  strokes 
are  the  rule  and  hitting  short  is  usually  imprac- 
ticable.     The   player    should    always    know    before  Know  where 
hitting  where  he  is  hitting  to,  where  the  players  .'^'""  '^i^'  luttini 
of  his  own  side  are,  and  how  to  hit  so  that  one  of 
them  can  advantageously  get  to  it,  and,  of  course, 
so  that  the  opposing  side  can  not  reach  it  so  easily. 

In  placing  the  ball  so  that  it  can  be  best  reached  Angle  hitting. 
by  members  of  your  team,  there  are  some  nice  prob- 
lems in  angle  hitting  which  players  will  do  well 
to  study  most  carefully.  Here  also  are  opportuni- 
ties for  exceptions  to  the  rules  laid  down  in  con- 
nection with  Figure  1,  as  it  may  very  well  be  that 
hitting  straight  to  goal  will  place  the  ball  in  such 
a  way  that  the  opposing  back  is  sure  to  get  it, 
whereas  hitting  fairly  well  to  the  right  or  left  may 
put  it  easily  within  reach  of  your  own  covering 
player.  A  study  of  the  diagram  of  Figure  25  will  Fig.  25. 
show  how  it  is  perfectly  possible  so  to  place  the 
ball  at  an  angle  to  the  straight  line  to  the  goal  as 
to  give  your  own  man  in  front  of  you  a   chance 


98  As  TO  Polo 

to  reach  the  ball  tirst,  even  though  his  opposing 
player  is  ahead  of  him.  We'll  say  No.  2  has  the 
ball.  The  opposing  back  is  four  to  eight  feet  aheail 
of  Xo.  1  and  it  is  obvious  No.  1  cannot  catch  up  to 
cover  him.  If  the  ball  is  hit  straight  and  far,  there 
is  no  power  that  can  prevent  the  oi)posing  back 
from  getting  to  the  ball  first  and  returning  it.  The 
opposing  No.  3  is  well  mounted,  and  No.  2  knows 
that  his  chance  of  following  the  ball  up  and  getting 
it  again  if  he  hits  short  is  small.  By  hitting  the 
ball  at  an  angle  to  its  course  and  to  the  side  of  the 
opposing  back  upon  which  his  No.  1  has  taken  his 
position,  be  it  right  or  left,  if  No.  1  is  riding  a  little 
wide  of  his  back,  it  can  be  easily  brought  about,  as 
shown  in  the  figure,  that  when  both  players  in  front 
are  turned  to  reach  the  ball,  No.  1  is  nearer  to  it  and 
can  take  the  ball  along,  having  the  opposing  back 
at  a  disadvantage. 
Fig.  16.  If  No.  2  sees  that  No.  1  is  between  him  and  the 

opposing  No.  4,  it  is  proper  to  hit  short  to  let  No. 
1  get  up  and  ride  his  man  out ;  or  in  case  the  op- 
posing back  is  incautious  and  plays  too  close.  No. 
1  can  pass  him  and  take  the  pass  from  his  No.  2, 
Fig.  1,5.  who  will  send  a  long  stroke  up  to  him.     But  under 

such  circumstances  it  never  pays  to  try  to  make  a 
long  stroke  for  goal.     Other  details   of   this  play 
will  be  given  in  the  chapters  on  the  various  positions. 
Players  should        In  order  properly  to  com])rehend  the  duties  of 
know  all  each  position,  each  player  should  learn  the  duties 

positions.  ^^j.  ^jj  positions  and  play  in  each  for  a  while.     He 

should  consider  that  each  man's  part  in  the  team 
is  just  as  important  and  just  as  distinct  as  are  the 
various  parts  of  a  clock.  The  mechanism  is  just 
as  nice  and  just  as  well  adjusted.  The  limits  of 
plays  where  one  man's  work  can  be  effective  are  not 


Team  Play  99 

hard  and  fast,  as  the}'  vary  with  various  conditions, 
yet  with  each  condition  his  play  is  absolutely  clearly 
marked. 

In  the  first  part  of  this  chapter,  I  have  indicated 
regular  play.  There  are  liiies  of  attack  other  than 
regular  straight  up-and-down  play  which  it  some- 
times pays  to  use. 

One  is  a  sudden  shifting  of  the  line  of  attack,   Backmgas 
when  by  either  chance  or  design  the  ball  is  taken   an  offensive 
and    turned    toward    the    side    lines.      To    carry    it   "measure, 
around  is  the  obvious  and  usual  way.     To  back  it 
toward  the  center  and  somewhat  toward  the  goal 
you  are  trying  to  defend,  under  a  preconceived  un- 
derstanding with  your  men,  establishing  a  new  line  Fig.  23. 
of  attack,  is  a   very  effective  offensive  movement. 
It  takes  the  other  side  completely  by  surprise,  unless 
they  are  looking  for  it,  and  is  sure  to  succeed,  given 
average  execution,  unless  each  man  of  the  opposing 
side  instead   of   playing   only   for   the   ball   is   reli- 
giously covering  his  man,  which  is  the  only  defense 
against  this  play.     If  a  player  sees  his  correspond- 
ing opponent  siding  oft"  to  another  part  of  the  field 
from   that   to   which  the   ball   would   naturally   go, 
he  should  take  up  a  coign  of  vantage  from  which 
he  can  get  to  him,  if  necessary,  before  the  ball  does. 

I  have  sometimes  thought  of  working  up  an  en- 
tirely new  style  of  play  with  two  lines  of  attack, 
by  which  the  ball  would  be  passed  from  one  line 
to  another  by  means  of  back  strokes,  or  cross 
strokes,  one  of  these  parallel  lines  to  be  formed  by 
No.  1  and  Xo.  3  and  the  otlier  by  Xo.  2  and  No.  4, 
each  to  be  read}'  to  rush,  if  occasion  arose,  or  to 
pass  the  ball  across.  This  passing  across,  however, 
presents  difficulties.  In  the  main,  the  simpU'st  way 
of  working  this  bit  of  strategy  would  be  for  some 


100  As  TO  Polo 

one  player,  where  the  ball  is  in  the  opponent's  half 
of  the  field,  deliberately  to  hit  toward  the  boards. 
If  the  opposing  players  rush  to  block  him  when  he 
reaches  the  ball,  instead  of  taking  it  round  at  a 
difficult  angle,  at  which  he  is  pretty  sure  to  giye  it 
to  one  of  the  other  side  before  he  gets  it  round,  he 
should  make  a  short  stroke  back  somewhat  toward 
the  center  of  the  field  where  his  other  players,  know- 
ing beforehand  what  is  going  to  happen,  are  waiting 
for  it.  By  hitting  the  ball  once  and  establishing  a 
new  right  of  way  toward  the  goal  and  holding  it 
with  a  rush,  they  would  haye  a  yery  difficult  style 
of  play  to  meet  and  cope  with,  particularly  if  it  has 
caught  the  opponents  in  such  a  position  that  they 
would  have  to  get  into  the  line  of  play  at  a  sharp 
angle,  a  thing  which  it  is  difficult  for  anyone  to  do 
without  fouling  or  losing  a  good  deal  of  distance 
in  turning,  before  getting  where  he  can  hit  or  inter- 
fere with  an  opponent.  As  I  have  said  before,  the 
only  successful  defense  would  be  for  each  man  to 
cover  his  opponent  and  not  get  led  away  in  the 
wild  delirium  of  a  chase  after  the  ball. 
Don't  knock  It  is  very  bad  polo  to  knock  over  the  side  line  or 

over  or  out.  over  the  back  line  except  for  a  purpose. 

Never  make  the  practice  of  playing  for  your  op- 

Don't  play  for      ponent's  misses.    That  merely  means  that  you  may 

your  opponent's  be  temporarily  successful  against  unskillful  players, 

misses.  Ij^^^  j-j.  does  uot  teach  you  good  jiolo.    Play  as  though 

your  opponent  were  a  good  i^layer.    After  the  player 

has  learned  good  polo,  taking  the  easier  and  lazier 

course  of  playing  to  an  opponent's  blunders  is  done 

with  the  eyes  open  and  knowing  that  it  is  incorrect 

polo — there  is  then  not  so  much  harm  in  it.     But  if  a 

man  learns  to  play  for  misses  instead  of  riding  his 

man.  he  will  get  into  bad  habits,  which  will  be  very 


Team  Play  101 

disastrous  to  him  in  case  of  running  up  against  tlie 
real  thing. 

In  good  polo,  playing  against  good  players,  do  Crowd  your 
not  pull  up  and  wait  for  the  stroke  of  the  man  you  ™'^"- 
are  supposed  to  cover,  but  crowd  him  even  though 
you  are  hopelessly  behind.  No  man  hits  so  well 
when  hard  pressed  as  he  does  when  he  has  plenty 
of  time,  and  the  fact  that  you  are  crowding  in  will 
prevent  his  turning  on  it  or  taking  time  for  his 
team  to  organize. 

To  all  players :  Ride  I  Kide !  and  again.  Ride  jour 
man ! 


CHAPTEE    VIII 


necessary. 


DUTIES    OF    No.    1. 

Difficult  to  i^o.  1  is  the  most  difficult  position  on  the  field  to 

play.  pla}'  well,  and  a  team  that  can  afford  to  put  a  really 

first-class  player  at  Xo.  1  is  the  most  formidable 
team  to  meet.  It  is  a  position  of  tremendous  possi- 
bilities. It  follows  that  it  requires  superlative  horse- 
manship, great  devotion  to  the  job  of  putting  the 
opposing  back  out  of  play,  and  an  utter  un- 
selfishness in  the  matter  of  leaving  the  ball  for 
Good  horseman  others  behind  to  bring  along.  An  excellent  horse- 
man, well  mounted,  not  necessarily  very  experienced 
in  the  matter  of  hitting  the  ball,  can  be  of  the  great- 
est use  to  the  team  by  neutralizing  the  'superior 
hitting  qualities  of  the  opposing  back.  Bj  a  curious 
contradiction,  No.  1  is  usually  the  place  selected  for 
putting  the  poorest  player.  This  is  because  that  is 
the  place  where  he  can  do  the  least  harm.  He  is 
less  needed  on  the  defense,  and  he  can  be  extremely 
useful  to  his  team  if  he  rides  well  and  hard  and  uses 
his  j)Osition  to  interfere  with  the  opposing  backs, 
not  necessarily  hitting  the  ball  himself. 

Xo.  I's  principal  duty  is  to  keep  the  opposing 
back  out  of  the  play.  To  accomplish  this  there  are 
two  methods  of  riding,  which  are  explained  in 
Chapter  YII,  "Team  Play,"  page  82  hereof,  and 
which  I  shall  not  repeat,  except  to  indicate  that 
one  of  them  is  by  getting  into  and  holding  a  strategic 
position  and  then  riding  for  the  ball.  This  I  con- 
sider the  most  effective  method  of  play  and  therefore 

102 


Keep  the 
opposing 
hack  out. 


Duties  of  No.  1  103 

most  dangerous  to  the  good  work  of  the  opponents, 
but  one  which  is  usually  more  applicable  to  the  play 
of  No.  2  and  No.  3.    The  other  is  to  ride  the  corre- 
sponding opponent  direct.    No.  1  can  cover  his  posi- 
tion and  save  his  ponies  more  than  any  other  player.   Can  save 
Allan  Forbes  played  one  pony  ten  years  exclusively  liis  ponies. 
in  that  position,  and  often  used  only  two  ponies  for 
his  important  matches.     These  important  matches 
included  matches  for  the  championship  of  the  United 
States  and  a  great  many  other  games  against  first- 
class  players.     No.  1  should  dispossess  his  soul  of 
the  idea  that  he  has  to  be  hustling  all  the  time.    He 
can  pull  up  and  wait  when  the  ball  is  going  around 
or  turning,  and  should  always  take  care  to  maneu- 
ver so  as  to  be  in  position  on  the  right  or  mallet  side 
of  the  opposing  back,  so  as  to  force  him  to  take  a 
nigh-side  stroke  if  he  wants  to  get  the  ball  without   Play  for  the 
getting  crooked,  and  then  wait,  keeping  an  eye  all  mallet  side  of 
the  time  on   the  movements  of  the  opposing  back  ^^^  opponent. 
and  at  the  same  time  watching  the  ball. 

The  strategic  place  for  No.  1  to  lie  in  is  a  comfort-  Fig.  5. 
able  berth  a  few  yards  off  the  off  fore  shoulder  of  the   Strategic 
pony  of  the  opposing  back,  always  being  a  little  position. 
ahead  of  him  in  the  direction  the  ball  is  going.     If 
he  sees  the  back  galloping  forward,  he  can  be  sure  Keep  a  little 
that  he  should  immediately  gallop  with  him  in  order  ahead  of  j-our 
to  block  him  all  he  can.     In  case  of  doubt,  stick  by  ™^"- 
your  man. 

On  the  throw  in.  No.  1  should  place  himself  pretty  Throw  in. 
well  back  from  the  referee  and  endeavor  to  get 
there  before  the  No.  1  of  tlie  oiiposing  side  lines  up.  Fig.  3. 
He  should  not  move  forward  until  about  the  time 
the  ball  is  to  be  thrown,  which  he  can  guess  pretty 
closely  by  counting  slowly  after  the  thirty  second 
whistle  is  blown.    About  five  seconds  before  the  ball 


104  As  TO  Polo 

is  thrown,  he  should  get  in  place,  with  his  pony  a 
little  nearer  the  referee  than  the  other  pony,  if 
possible.  As  the  ball  is  thrown,  he  should  drive  his 
pony  heavily  across  the  line,  leaning  pretty  strongly 
against  his  opponent  if  he  is  in  position  to  interfere, 
and  endeavor  to  get  the  ball  as  it  passes  under.  If 
he  misses  it  and  the  other  No.  1  gets  it,  he  stays 
by  him  and  rides  him  just  as  though  he  were  the 
back  until  he  has  spoiled  the  rush.  After  the  rush 
is  spoiled  he  turns  to  see  whether  he  can  get  to  the 
ball  quicker  than  any  other  player  on  his  side.  If 
he  can  not,  his  job  is  to  ride  immediately  to  his 
Ride  fast  to  position.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  on  the  throw  in, 

position.  the  ball  passes  by,  No.  1  should  immediately  extri- 

cate himself  from  the  opposing  No.  1  and  start  to 
gallop  fast  toward  the  goal  he  is  trying  to  make  until 
he  gets  to  an  advantageous  position  near  the  oppos- 
ing back,  where  he  should  stop  and  wait  unless  the 
movement  of  the  ball  or  of  the  opposing  back  indi- 
cates that  movement  is  necessary.  If  No.  2  comes 
along  with  the  ball  and  drives  it  up  past,  while  No. 
1  has  the  opposing  back  well  covered.  No.  1  should 
assume  that  No.  2  is  in  position  to  take  it  again 
and  should  stay  by  his  back  unless  he  hears  a  call 
from  his  own  man  to  take  it,  or  unless,  looking 
around,  he  sees  that  No.  2  has  been  passed  hy  one 
of  the  opponents  who  will  get  the  ball,  in  which 
case  he  is  free  to  ride  for  the  ball,  but  in  such  case 
No.  2  should  have  directed  him  to  ''Take  it."  If 
Stay  l).v  your  No.  1  has  got  his  opposing  back  covered  and  crowded 
™*iii-  out  of  tlie  line  of  play,  unless  thoroughly  drilled 

Fig.  11.  and  conversant  with  his  duty,  he  will  have  an  al- 

most irresistible  impulse  to  leave  the  man  he  has  so 
nicely  covered  and  turn  and  go  to  the  ball  as  it 
comes  up  past  liim.     To  do  this  when  No.  2  has  hit 


Duties  op  No.  1  105 

it  last  and  is  clear  behind,  is  nothing  short  of  crim- 
inal, the  penalty  for  which  should  be  at  least  six 
years  at  hard  labor  in  the  penitentiary.  No.  1,  if 
he  has  his  opposing  No.  4  covered,  is  doing  every- 
thing that  could  be  expected  of  him.  If  No.  2  hit 
it  last,  the  presumption  is  that  he  is  in  position  to 
hit  it  again,  as,  given  ecpial  ponies  and  equal  horse- 
manship. No.  3  of  the  other  side  can  not  catch  u\) 
to  interfere.  If,  however,  he  does,  there  is  always 
the  fair  chance  that  his  No.  3  will  be  following 
and  able  to  take  the  ball  along.  If  No.  1  turns  and 
leaves  his  man  to  get  the  ball,  his  opponent  will  do 
one  of  two  things :  He  can  either  turn  and  crook 
No.  I's  stick  and  then  take  the  ball  himself,  or,  as 
No.  1  turns  to  get  into  the  line  of  the  play,  he  can 
galloj)  hard  and  get  past  No.  1  and  back  the  ball 
on  the  next  stroke.  Moreover,  it  is  somewhat  diffi- 
cult to  extricate  your  pony  from  riding  oft"  another, 
as  a  pony,  when  leaning  well  over  and  well  braced 
against  another  pony,  usually  objects  a  little  to 
changing  and  resists  for  a  moment  the  effort  of  his 
rider  to  make  him  leave  an  opposing  pony,  a  tend- 
ency which  does  credit  to  his  intelligence  as  a 
strategist  and  one  from  which  an  open-minded  No. 
1,  not  swelling  with  the  conceit  that  he  is  superior 
to  brute  creation,  might  draw  some  valuable  points 
on  how  to  play  his  position.  In  fact,  it  is  usually 
necessary  to  spur  a  pony  away  in  order  to  make  him 
leave  another  that  he  is  leaning  against,  which 
takes  a  little  time.  Having  got  away  from  the  man 
1)6  is  riding.  No.  1  then  has  to  turn  to  get  to  tlie 
ball  and  turn  again  to  get  along  the  line  of  iday. 
All  of  these  processes  usually  result  in  No.  I's  free- 
ing the  back,  as  before  explained,  and  reaching 
the  ball  just  in  time  to  make  a  poor  stroke  and  to 


lOG 


As  TO  Polo 


Defensive 
play. 


Fig.  9  sliows 
tlie  effect  of 
Xo.  1  (Blue) 
not  covering 
his  man. 


When 

opponents 

change. 


interfere  with  his  own  No.  2  who  is  riding  free 
along  the  line  of  play  and  could  have  hit  it  without 
any  of  the  maneuvers  which  have  spoiled  No.  I's 
direction  and  without  the  added  disadvantage  of 
leaving  the  opposing  back  clear  ahead  and  in  posi- 
tion to  spoil  the  whole  play. 

On  the  defense,  No.  1  should  stay  by  back,  gauging 
his  distance  and  position  by  that  of  his  opponent, 
and  always  ride  through  with  him  in  case  he  rushes 
forward,  provided  that  he  can  interfere  with  his 
play  and  that  his  opponent  is  on  the  ball  as  he  goes 
through.  If  the  opposing  back  is  riding  up  on  some 
mistaken  theory  that  he  had  better  get  in  and  help 
somebody.  No.  1  should  stay  back  and  hold  his  place, 
spacing  himself  on  No.  2.  Unless  he  has  a  chance  to 
prevent  his  opposing  No.  4  making  a  stroke,  he 
should  never  ride  in  with  him  past  the  opposing  No.  3. 

Where  the  opposing  No.  3  and  No.  4  change  places, 
No.  1  and  No.  2  should  change  with  their  men  if 
by  doing  so  they  can  prevent  one  of  them  making  a 
stroke,  otherwise  they  had  better  hold  their  places 
and  let  No.  1  take  tlie  opposing  No.  3  and  No.  2  take 
the  opposing  No.  4.  In  other  words,  there  is  no 
sense  in  changing  positions  unless  there  is  some- 
thing to  be  gained  by  doing  so,  and  the  only  thing 
to  be  gained  is  to  spoil  the  stroke  or  rush  of  the 
opposing  side.  There  are  times  when  the  whole  two 
teams  could  change  ends,  such  as  where  the  ball  is 
brought  by  one  side  down  the  side  of  the  field  and, 
when  hit  across  toward  goal,  picked  up  by  the  back 
of  the  other  side  and  carried  ahead  around  the  field, 
and  down  the  other  side.  In  that  case,  if  each  man 
should  ride  his  man,  both  teams  would  find  them- 
selves changed  end  for  end,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
this  practically  never  occurs,  as  No.  4,  the  moment 


Duties  op  No.  1  107 

he  sees  the  opposing  No.  4  hitting  around,  will 
always  cut  across  to  defend  goal  instead  of  following 
the  circle,  in  which  case  No.  1  has  to  watch  his 
chance  and  cut  back.  Probably  he  will  find  that  the 
opposing  No.  4,  as  soon  as  the  rush  is  checked,  has 
turned  to  get  back  too,  for  all  good  No.  4's  have  an 
anxious  feeling  about  the  goal  they  are  defending 
and  won't  staj'  up  in  the  game  long. 

Fig.   20   represents   a    case  where   the   three  op-  Fig.  20. 
posing  players   have  ridden   over  the   ball.     No.   1 
finds  himself,  as  he  should  be,  a  little  ahead  of  the 
opposing  back,  who,  seeing  that  he  can  not  get  to 
the  ball  first,  instead  of  riding  in  pulls  up  and  waits 
for  No.  I's  stroke.     Under  no  circumstances  should   Don't  hit  to 
No.  1  hit  the  ball  to  the  waiting  back.    He  has  two   a  waiting  back 
or   three   courses   open,   all   depending   on    circum-  ^■''  <^^^^''- 

stances.  The  first  and  the  most  usual  one  is  to  stop 
and  stand  over  the  ball  with  his  pony  facing  across 
the  field,  always  being  sure  that  there  is  no  possi- 
bility that  No.  4  will  rush  in  and  make  him  commit 
a  foul  by  so  doing.  No.  2  and  No.  3  of  his  side  will 
turn  and  get  to  him  just  as  quickly  as  possible. 
The  first  one  of  these  to  get  around  should  be  No.  2, 
who,  seeing  him  standing  this  way,  should  pass  him 
at  a  little  distance  and  receive  the  ball  by  a  light 
tap  across  the  field,  the  ball  slanting,  however,  to- 
ward the  goal  to  be  made,  but  not  slanting  enough 
so  that  the  opposing  back  will  have  any  chance  for 
it.  No.  1  could  then  follow  No.  2,  and,  in  case  the 
opposing  back  has  by  that  time  got  so  that  he  could 
reach  the  ball  as  it  conies  from  the  next  stroke  of 
No.  2,  No.  1  could  call  upon  No.  2  to  leave  it  and 
take  the  back,  and  No.  1  come  along  on  the  ball, 
playing  No.  2. 

Another   ])lay   tliat   No.    1    may   make   under  the 


108 


As  TO  Polo 


Doii't  follow- 
too  close  when 
supporting:. 


circumstances  indicated  above  is  to  turn  on  the 
hall  and  take  it  himself.  In  this  case,  if  No.  4 
stays  quite  a  distance  back,  No.  1  should  ride  past 
the  ball,  all  the  time  watching  to  make  sure  No.  4 
doesn't  ride  up  and  steal  the  ball,  and  then  turn 
and  advance  back  on  it,  getting  the  pony  well  under 
way  before  he  reaches  the  ball.  He  is  now  in  po- 
sition to  vary  his  play  according  to  circumstances. 
He  can  hit  it  just  short  of  the  back  and  follow  it 
up  by  another  stroke,  or,  if  his  No.  2  gets  around 
in  time,  he  can  hit  it  a  short  stroke  and  then  ride 
over  it,  going  up  to  his  position  and  letting  No.  2 
come  up  and  take  the  ball  along.  What  I  have 
said  elsewhere  about  following  up  other  players  too 
close  applies  with  equal  force  to  No.  1.  When  on 
the  defensive,  he  should  never  follow  up  the  player.-i 
in  front  so  close  as  to  let  the  opposing  No.  4  trail 
and  thus  stand  any  chance  of  the  ball  being  de- 
flected so  that  he  will  ride  over  it  and  leave  it  to 
the  opposing  back ;  in  fact,  he  should  always  stay 
back  and  cover  the  opposing  back,  provided  the 
opposing  back  is  not  lurking  more  than  the  fair  dis- 
tance of  a  full  stroke  away. 

There  is  a  good  deal  to  be  said  in  favor  of  No. 
1  not  riding  up  on  the  ball  at  all  when  it  has  been 
ridden  over  but  staying  back  with  his  man.  But 
when  he  does  this  there  is  always  the  chance  that 
the  opposing  No.  4  will  sli[)  past  him  and  steal  a 
march,  or  that  one  of  the  other  side  will  turn  first 
and  get  to  the  ball  when  No.  1  could  have  been 
standing  over  it  and  kept  it  away  from  the  first 
opponent  round  by  passing  it  conveniently  to  one 
of  his  own  side,  as  before  explained.  No.  1  has 
to  be  guided  by  circumstances  in  such  cases.  If  he 
sees  that  his  No.  2  is  going  to  get  round  first,  his 


Duties  of  No.  1  109 

position  is  back  alongside  of  his  man  to  clear  the 
way  for  the  rush  to  goal. 

Crane  says  the  back  should  never  let  his  No.  1 
come  in  alone  and  steal  the  ball  from  his  No.  3. 

From  time  to  time  it   is  well  for  men  who  are   no.  1  should 
going  to  play  No.  2  and  No.  1  to  change  places  in   know  how  to 
practice,  No.  1  to  play  No.  2  and  No.  2  to  play  No.  1,   Pl^y  No.  2. 
for  a  week  or  two.    Thus  each  may  see  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  other  man's  position,  and  No.  1  can  get  a 
much  better  idea  of  what  No.  2  is  calling  for  and 
why.  ""As  others  see  us"  is  a  prett}'  good  point  of  view. 

Apropos  of  all  No.  I's  knowing  how  to  play  No.  2, 
Allan  Forbes  saj-s :  "No.  2's  should  know  how  to 
play  No.  1  and  be  willing  to  do  so ;  most  No.  2-s 
play  one  and  a  half."  This  means  that  No.  2  too  ■ 
often  hangs  back  and  plays  altout  half  way  between 
his  own  position  and  that  of  No.  1 ;  in  other  words, 
he  doesn't  stay  by  the  opposing  back. 

On  the  knock  in  by  his  own  side.  No.  I's  duty  is   Fig.  4. 
to  place  himself  advantageously  near  the  opposing   when  his  side 
back  and  keep  him  out  of  the  play.    Without  unduly  knocks  in. 
giving  the  play  away,  he  should  be  ready  to  put  him- 
self on   that   side   of  the   opposing  back   to   which 
the  ball  is  to  be  hit  and  then  bother  him.     I  have 
#  sometimes  placed  my  pony  directly  across  in  front 
of  back  and  let  him  extricate  himself  when  the  time 
came  to  move. 

Allan  Forbes  says  that  it  is  often  better  for  the 
No.  1  to  place  himself  a  little  off  to  one  side,  count- 
ing on  his  man  to  pass  the  ball  to  him,  in  this  way 
forcing  the  back  to  play  to  cover  him. 

When  the  opposing  team   is  knocking  in,   No.   1   Fig.  4. 
should  place  himself  about  thirty  yards  out,  directly  when 
in  front  of  the  place  where  experience  has  shown   opponents 
him  tliat  the  opposing  No.  4  usually  hits.     If  he  knock  in. 


110  As  TO  Polo 

usualh'  hits  to  the  side,  Xo.  1  should  stand  on  the 
line  from  the  ball  to  the  side  lines ;  if  to  the  center, 
he  should  place  himself  in  front  of  it,  toward  the 
center;  if  at  a  diagonal,  he  should  place  himself 
diagonally  in ;  but  in  every  case  he  should  ride  in 
to  endeavor  to  meet  the  ball  as  it  is  knocked  in.  It 
is  his  fault  if  the  ball  is  dribbled  and  the  opposing 
back  comes  up  and  hits  it  a  second  time. 
Pony  should  be  No.  I's  great  chance  for  a  brilliant  play  is  to  get 
leady  to  rusli.  away  with  the  ball  before  the  opposing  back  is 
ready.  His  pony  should  be  trained  to  start  in- 
stantly to  rush  at  speed  on  seeing  a  clear  field,  for 
speed  is  the  essence  of  good  polo.  Xo.  1  should 
realize  that  the  time  spent  in  waiting  is  just  what 
is  needed  to  save  the  pony  so  that  he  will  be  fresh 
when  the  time  has  come  that  speed  is  needed. 


CHAPTER  IX 

DUTIES  OF  No.  2 

No.  2's  primary  duties  are  to  keep  himself,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  immediately  on  or  over  the  ball 
when  on  the  offensive.     He  alone  of  his  side  should 
follow  the  ball  into  the  offensive  corners ;  he  must 
be  the  fastest  and  most  accurate  hitting  man  on 
the  team.    He  must  not  let  the  opposing  No.  3  carry 
the  ball  on  the  defense,  and  he  must  not  let  the 
opposing  No.  3  back  it  on  the  offense.     Of  course, 
the  best  way  to  prevent  this  is  so  to  place  himself 
in  regard  to  the  opposing  No.  3  as  to  get  to  it  first 
on  the  ofiense  or  the  defense.    There  are  few  chances 
for  No.  2  to  save  his  ponies.     He  ordinarily  must   Cau't  save 
have  more  ponies  than  any  other  man  on  the  team,   his  ponies 
If  No.  3  needs  five.  No.  2  needs  six  ponies  for  his   '^^c'^- 
matches.    Back  can  get  along  very  easily'  with  four. 
No.  1  won't  unnecessarily  strain  three.     Of  course, 
these  figures  vary  with  different  players  and  their 
manner  of  playing.     I   have  always  thought  that 
No.  2  and  No.  3  ought  to  have  particularly  handy   Hamlinessof 
ponies ;  that  handiness  in  the  center  was  very  im-   ponies  of  No. 
portant ;  and  if  in  any  given  period  of  a  match  one  ~  '^"   *  ^'  '^' 
of  the  two  gets  up  on  a  fast  pony  that  is  not  handy, 
the  other  should  be  careful  to  compensate  by  select- 
ing a  handy  pony.     Of  course,  with  a  fast  game  a 
slow  pony  in  the  center  is  perfectly  hopeless,  and  it    Really  slow 
is   assumed   that   No.   2   and   No.   3    in   important   pony  fatal. 
matches  are  well  mounted  and  all  their  ponies  are 
at  least  of  average  speed  and  not  outclassed  by  the 
run  of  ponies  playing. 

Ill 


112 


As  TO  Polo 


Throw  in. 


Fig. 


Fisr.  6. 


On  the  throw  iu.  No.  2  should  make  a  special 
effort  to  get  the  ball,  being  particular  at  the  same 
time  that  Xo.  2  of  the  opposing  side  does  not  get 
it.  Whoever  does  get  the  ball,  it  is  Xo.  2's  business 
immediately  to  follow  up  the  play.  If  the  opposing 
No.  3  gets  it,  it  will  be  No.  3's  business  to  stay  with 
him,  No.  2  probably  trailing.  If  his  No.  3  gets  the 
hall  on  the  throw  in,  it  is  probable  that  his  opposing 
No.  3  will  stay  by  him,  taking  temporarih'  No.  2's 
place,  so  that,  unless  No.  2  has  been  very  quick 
in  starting  off  ahead,  the  two  No.  2's  will  be  cor- 
respondingly placed  and  will  fight  it  out  for  the 
position  of  supporting. 

What  is  said  about  supporting  from  too  close 
under  the  head  of  "Duties  of  No.  1,"  applies  also 
to  No.  2.  who  must  never  under  any  circumstances 
ride  too  near  to  the  couples  in  front  of  him,  as  No. 
3  is  shown  to  be  doing  in  Fig.  6.  If  the  ball  is 
ridden  over  and  No.  2  is  riding  fast  and  too  close, 
he  also  will  ride  over  it ;  and  if  he  is  riding  ahead 
of  his  opposing  No.  3,  whom  he  has  left  riding  clear, 
he  is  committing  an  unpardonable  crime  against 
proper  |)olo.  He  should  always  stay  back  far  enough 
to  cover  his  man.  It  is  his  fault  if  the  opposing 
No.  3  gets  the  ball.  It  is  his  business  to  see  that 
No.  3  does  not  get  it,  and  to  get  it  himself.  Of 
course,  with  two  perfect  players,  which  one  gets  the 
ball  will  depend  just  on  how  it  happens  to  be  hit 
away  or  the  way  the  ball  is  left,  whether  to  one 
side  or  the  other.  But  every  player  should  aim  to 
Take  a  position  be  a  player  superior  to  the  man  opposite  him,  and 
a  little  ahead  he  should  devote  his  energies  to  outmaneuvering  his 
num  if  he  can,  placing  himself  on  his  mallet  side 
and  a  little  in  advance  of  his  pony  in  the  direction 
in  which  the  ball  and  the  player  are  moving.     Then 


Cover  your 
man. 


of  vour  man. 


Duties  op  No.  2  IIH 

he  has  got  what  in  yachting  is  called  a  "weather 
berth"  and  is  in  position  to  pnt  his  opponent  out  of 
the  play  and  get  the  ball  himself. 

Crane  says :  "No.  2  should  take  every  chance  on 
the  offense  and  No.  3  should  take  practically  no 
chance  except  one  stroke  from  opponents'  goal. 

No.  2  should,  by  following  the  No.  1  and  No,  4 
at  speed,  force  his  opposing  No.  3  to  play  closer  to 
that  pair  tlian  he  otherwise  would  and  thus  nullify 
No.  3's  defense.  No.  3  can  not  afford  to  let  his 
opposing  No.  2  ])lay  clear  in  front  even  if  he  is  too 
close  to  No.  I  and  No.  4,  for  the  penalty  is  too  great 
if  No.  2  does  not  bring  oft'  a  lucky  one." 

What  I  have  stated  in  regard  to  hitting  the  ball 
back  to  a  w^aiting  opponent,  under  the  head  of  Fig.  14. 
"Duties  of  No.  1,"  applies  with  equal  force  to  No. 
2.  When,  on  the  defensive,  No.  3  and  No.  4  may  have 
ridden  over  the  ball  and  No.  2  rides  down  on  it  and 
finds  the  opposing  No.  3  has  pulled  back  to  get  his 
back  stroke,  No.  2  should  never  hit  it  to  him.  His 
clioice  lies,  as  indicated  in  the  chapter  on  the  duties 
of  No.  1  and  shown  for  him  in  Fig.  20,  between  rid- 
ing past  the  ball  when  it  has  ceased  to  move,  turning 
and  coming  back  on  it,  or  stopping  over  it  and 
waiting.  If  the  opposing  No.  3  has  i^ulled  up,  there 
is  no  danger  from  infringement  on  right  of  way 
in  doing  this,  but  No.  2  must  be  very  careful  that 
he  is  not  rushed  and  led  into  fouling  by  reason  of 
standing  over  the  ball.  No.  2  can  then  take  his  time 
in  regard  to  his  measure,  either  dribbling  the  ball 
along  slowly — following  it  up  until  his  No.  3  is  in 
position,  then  passing  it  to  him — or  hitting  it  short 
until  he  can  ride  over  it  and  leave  it  for  his  No.  3 
to  come  along;  or,  if  the  worst  comes  to  worst,  hit- 
ting it  as  far  down  as  he  can,  on  the  chance  that 


114 


As  TO  Polo 


Call  "Turn" 
when  backing 
the  ball. 

Fig.  12. 


Play  approach 
to  goal. 


his  No.  1  will  be  in  position  to  take  it  along,  rather 
than  giving  it  up  to  a  player  of  the  opposing  side. 

1  used  to  play  a  short  cross-field  stroke  to  the  side 
on  which  my  Xo.  1  or  No.  3  was  riding  past ;  in 
the  latter  case  No.  3  went  up  to  No.  2*s  position  and 
received  the  ball  on  the  pass.  This  gave  us  a  favor- 
able chance  for  a  run  down  the  field,  and  we  usually 
so  arranged  it  that  the  opposing  No.  3,  who  had  been 
waiting  for  such  a  move,  would  have  to  get  into  the 
line  of  play  at  an  angle  which  put  him  at  a  disad- 
vantage and  made  it  possible  for  my  No.  3,  now 
taking  the  position  of  No.  2,  to  get  a  good  run.  I, 
having  passed  it  out  to  him,  would  take  up  the  po- 
sition next  to  him  and  ahead  of  any  possible  o])po- 
nent,  making  sure  that  in  case  of  my  man  missing 
the  ball  the  opposing  No.  2  would  not  get  it. 

Where  No.  2  backs  the  ball,  he  must  be  especially 
careful  to  call  ''Turn,"  or  its  equivalent,  because  his 
men  ahead  can  not  be  looking  over  their  shoulders 
all  the  time  to  see  and  can  do  better  work  if  they 
can  count  on  hearing. 

I  have  always  believed  that  No.  1  is  the  man  to 
make  goals,  and  when  playing  No.  2  I  do  not  try 
for  goals  unless  I  am  pretty  sure  of  them.  I  never 
try  a  long  shot  or  a  difficult  angle  shot  at  goal,  and 
such  difficult  goals  as  I  may  have  made  have  been 
chance  rather  than  design.  When  the  play  is  at  a 
difficult  angle,  I  try  to  put  it  out  directly  in  front 
of  the  posts.  When  it  is  a  long  way  out  I  play  an 
aii]iroach  shot.  It  takes  four  times  as  much  skill 
to  hit  a  goal  from  100  yards  as  it  does  at  50  yards, 
and  four  times  as  much  skill  from  50  yards  as  it 
does  from  25  yards.     See  Figs.  5,  7,  and  8  when  No. 

2  should  try  an  approach  shot  first. 

I  consider  it  to  be  a  great  disadvantage  to  knock 


Duties  op  No.  2  115 

over  the  back  line,  and  I  am  always  playing  to  pnt 
the  ball  close  in  front  of  the  goal  posts  whei-e  an- 
other stroke  will  send  it  over,  rather  than  relying  on 
any  particularly  brilliant  stroke  from  a  distance. 

On  the  knock  in,  No.  2  should  be  at  the  iKmrds.   When  your 

1  like  to  have  it  arranged  so  tliat  when  the  back   ^if^^^  knocks  in. 
knocks  the  ball  in  it  shall  strike  the  boards.  No.  2  pj„  4 
placing  himself  in  such  a   way  that   he  can  come 

down  the  boards  at  the  point  the  ball  hits  and  start 
the  rush  for  the  goal  at  the  extreme  side  of  the  field, 
where  the  danger  to  one's  own  goal  is  at  a  mini- 
mum. By  placing  himself  near  the  boards.  No.  2 
will  have  his  opponents  lined  up  for  the  defense  in 
the  tield,  and  if  the  ball  hits  the  boards  it  gives  a 
clear  shot  between  the  pou}^  and  the  boards  for  No. 

2  to  start  his  rush.  If  No.  2  sees  a  chance,  I  see  no 
objection  to  his  cutting  or  turning  the  ball  out  into 
the  field  and  directly  across  the  line  of  most  of  the 
players  wlio  come  galloping  toward  the  boards  with 
the  ball.  This  gives  him  the  right  of  way  to  himself 
and  often  will  enable  him  to  come  out  clear  into  the 
field,  particularly  if  No.  1  sees  his  chance  and  gets  a 
position  between  the  opposing  back  and  the  center 
of  the  field.  However,  I  think  it  safest  to  bring  the 
ball  right  along  down  the  side  lines,  the  idea  being 
to  get  the  goal  out  of  danger  first.  From  the  side 
lines  there  is  less  chance  of  a  successful  rush  toward 
the  defensive  goal,  if  the  ball  is  turned,  than  from 
the  center.  The  distance  is  so  great  from  the  goal 
you  are  trying  to  make  that  the  angle  is  not  a 
shar})  one  if  you  straighten  it  for  goal  before  get- 
ting past  the  middle  of  the  field. 

I  consider  it  the  acme  of  bad  polo  to  send  tlie  ball   When  not  to 
toward   tlie  boards  at  all   in   the  offensive  half  of   liit  toward 
the  field,   unless  it  is  done  purposely,  as,  for  ex-  ^l^^^'oards. 


IIG  As  TO  Polo 

ample,  for  the  purpose  of  gaining  time,  or,  as  is 
explained  under  ''Team  play,"  as  a  part  of  a  stra- 
tegic move  to  change  the  line  of  play. 
Correct  line  No.  2  should  always  bear  in  mind  that  the  correct 

of  play.  line  of  play  is  from  the  center  of  the  ball  to  the 

Fig.  1.  center  of  the  goal  line  he  is  trying  to  make,  and 

every  stroke  that  i^arallels  that  line  of  play  es- 
tablishes a  right  of  way  in  the  direction  which  is 
most  direct  to  the  opponent's  goal  and  therefore 
most  advantageous.  It  is  his  iiarticular  job  to  es- 
tablish a  right  of  way  along  that  line,  but  a  poten- 
tial right  of  way  is  only  good  if  it  is  maintained, 
and  the  way  to  do  that  is  to  get  on  it  and  hold  it  at 
speed. 
Hit  straight  To  hit  straight  to  goal  all  the  time  is  a  very  good 

to  goal.  rule,   care  being  taken  to   avoid   hitting   to   oppo- 

nents who  are  clear  and  that  can  be  avoided  by 
the  simple  device  of  hitting  short,  the  direction  still. 
Exception.  if  possible,  being  right  straight  to  goal.     An  excep- 

tion to  this  rule  is  to  be  found  on  page  !)7,  where 
the  advantages  of  angle  hitting  are  explained   at 
.length.     (See  Figure  25.) 
When  the  When  the  opponents  are  knocking  in,  No.  2  should 

opponents  place  himself  directly  in  front  of  the  posts.     Or, 

if  the  ball  has  gone  out  well  over  toward  the  side. 
Fig.  4.  he  can  take  his  place  a  few  feet  toward  the  goal 

from  somewhere  between  the  ball  and  the  goal  posts 
and  far  enougli  out  to  stand  a  chance  of  intercept- 
ing the  first  stroke.  It  is  No.  2's  business  to  block 
any  attempt  to  carry  the  ball  round  the  field  or 
across  goal.  He  waits  to  get  a  pass  in  case  the 
ball  is  blocked  and  hit  to  him  by  one  of  his  own 
men,  but  he  must  take  his  position  to  cover  his 
man  tlie  minute  the  ball  is  liit.  His  man  in  this 
case    may    be    tlie    oi»posing    back    if    he    is    riding 


Duties  op  No.  2  117 

through,  or  it  may  be  No.  3,  who  is  probably  sta- 
tioned somewhere  near  him  defending  goal.  No.  2 
should  be  in  position  to  receive  the  knock  in  by 
riding  with  the  ball.  He  should  be  ready,  however, 
to  turn  immediately  in  case  of  a  very  short  stroke 
on  the  part  of  the  man  who  is  knocking  in.  If  the 
ball  passes  near  him  it  always  pays  to  have  a  swing 
at  it,  but  in  cross-goal  plajs  he  should  be  very  care- 
ful in  so  doing  not  to  lose  his  position  for  the  de- 
fense and  let  the  man  who  knocked  it  in  get  by  him 
and  go  down  the  held  clear,  as  his  team  is  depending 
upon  him  to  prevent  that. 

To  No.  2,  as  to  all  other  players,  I  will  repeat  tlie   Getyovu- 
admonition  that  thej^  must  ride  rapidly  until  they  place  quickly, 
are  in  position,  after  the  ball  goes  outside  or  at  any 
time,  and,  once  solidly  in  position,  take  all  the  lei- 
sure they  can. 

No.  2  should  remember,  as  should  all  other  play-  v 

ers,  that  tlie  strongest  defense  is  a  strong  offense — 
that  if  he  rides  his  man  religiously  and  conscien- 
tiously,  keeping  in   front  of   the   opposing  No.   3, 
whichever  way  the  play  is  going,  playing  for  the 
ball  when  the  opportunity  arrives,  so  as  to  put  the 
other  man  in  the  position  of  doing  the  riding  off,  he 
can  really  be  the  mainstay  of  the  team.    No.  2  wants   No.  2  makes 
to  remember  that  the  essence  of  all  polo  is  hitting   ^lie  speed  of 
straight  and  true  on  the  off  side.     If  he  is  really   ^i^*^  ^^'i"^- 
on  his  job,  the  play  will  be  fast ;  if  he  is  not  on  his 
job,  the  play  will  be  slow.     In  other  words.  No.  2 
is  the  man  on  whom  the  team  usually  depends  for 
making  the  game  fast. 

AVhere   a   particularly   good   chance   conies,   it   is   No.  2  can 
justifiable  for  No.  2  to  cut  across  the  line  of  the   play  a  cross 
ball  and  take  it  around  instead  of  backing  it.     Pro-   ^'^''•l^*'- 
vided  tliat  his   first  stroke  toward   tlie  center  will 


118  As  TO  Polo 

Fig.  19.  leave  him  in  position  to  get  an  easy  angle  for  his 

second  stroke  to  the  goal,  this  is  often  preferable 
to  backing  it  toward  the  side.  That  the  stroke  is 
more  difficult  is  compensated  for  by  the  improved 
opportunity  it  offers  to  carry  the  ball,  and  by  the 
fact  that  the  defensive  line  is  intact  with  his  Xo.  3 
and  Xo.  4  in  position  to  defend  in  case  of  a  miss  on 
his  part.  Xo.  2  is,  however,  more  justified  in  doing 
it  near  the  opponent's  goal  than  he  is  near  his  own 
goal,  where  the  defense  is  more  important  and  he 
should  make  the  surer  stroke  and  where  the  fact 
that  he  is  taking  it  toward  the  boards  is  an  advan- 
tage rather  than  otherwise. 


CHAPTER  X 

DUTIES  OF  No.  3 

No.  3  ought  to  keep  over  the  ball  all  the  time  First  duty, 
ou  the  defense.     He  is  the  tirst  line  of  defense.     If 
No.  2  is  the  most  aggressive  and  active  player  on 
the  field,  No.  3  should  be  the  most  careful  and  the 
most  skillful.    He  should  be  eternally  vigilant.     He   vigilance. 
should  combine  readiness  for  whirlwind  riding  any 
minute  with  a  feeling  that  he  must  be  ready  to  de- 
fend goal  and  play  the  safe,  conservative  game  of 
back.     He  must  remember  that  the  strongest  de- 
fense is  a  strong  otfense ;  that  a  goal  can  never  be 
properly  defended  if  the  team  is  not  ready  to  take 
the  offensive  on  the   first  move;  that  he  can  not  Don't  gallop 
help  his  back  by  galloping  down  on  him ;  that  he   down  on  the 
must  never  come  back  and  do  the  back's  work  for   '"'^ck. 
him  unless  he  has  first  passed  the  word  to  the  back    . 
that  he  has  taken  his  place  and  back  has  accepted 
the  change  and  gone  up  to  take  the  place  of  No.  3.   Fig.  i". 

A  defensive   stroke  is  practically  worthless  un- 
less it  is  followed  up  by  turning  it  to  an  offensive 
movement.     There  is  nothing  more  hopeless  for  a 
team  than  to  have  the  back  strokes  constantly  met 
as  they  are  sent  down  by  opponents  who  are  riding 
clear,   particularly   when   they   should   be   covered.   Cover  the 
Thus  No.  3's  business  is  not  only  to  defend  the  goal   opposing  No. 
but  he  has  to  keep  the  opposing  No.  2  out  of  the 
play.    He  must  be  careful  not  to  leave  him  as  shown   Fig.  6. 
in  Fig.  G.     The  opposing  No.  2  is  ajit  to  be  forniid- 

119 


120 


As  TO  Polo 


Fig.  3. 

On  the  throw 

in. 


When  positions 
change. 

Fig.  6. 

Mustn't 
support  from 
too  close. 


able,  the  most  aggressive,  fastest,  hardest  hitting, 
and  most  etfective  player  on  the  opposing  team. 

If  No.  8  gets  it  into  his  head  that  it  is  his  job 
to  ride  back  and  hit  splendid  back  strokes,  regard- 
less of  whom  he  is  sending  them  to  or  where  the  op- 
posing No.  2  is,  he  will  often  play  as  freely  into 
the  hands  of  the  opposing  side  as  thongh  he  were 
actually  trying  to  do  so. 

At  the  risk  of  repetition,  then,  No.  3's  work  is 
not  only  to  support  his  back,  not  only  to  prevent  the 
play  from  passing  him,  but  so  to  place  himself  in 
relation  to  the  opposing  No.  2  that  he  covers  him 
in  so  doing.  Of  course,  if  No.  2  is  playing  too  far 
back  and  pulls  up  whenever  the  couple  in  front 
have  ridden  each  other  over  the  ball.  No.  3  will  do 
what  any  good  player  should  and  what  has  been 
indicated  to  the  other  players — either  stop  over  the 
ball  or  turn  on  it. 

On  the  throw  in,  No.  3  has  the  simplest  busi- 
ness of  anyone,  as  well  as  the  most  obvious.  He 
rides  for  the  ball,  stays  with  his  opposing  No.  3 
if  he  gets  it,  and  in  so  doing  he  holds  his  own  posi- 
tion. If  the  ball  rolls  through  and  No.  4  gets  it, 
No.  3  follows  him  up  immediately,  ready  to  take  the 
position  of  No.  4  in  case  the  rush  is  blocked.  If,  on 
the  throw  in,  he  gets  the  ball  himself,  he  of  course 
follows  it  right  through  and  may  by  so  doing  get 
into  No.  2's  position,  in  which  case  he  should  say  to 
his  No.  2  "I  am  2,"  to  which  No.  2  replies  '"I  am  3.'' 
They  continue  holding  these  positions  until  a  good 
chance  conies  to  change. 

In  following  up  a  stroke.  No.  3  should  always  lay 
himself  far  enough  back  so  that  a  disarrangement 
of  the  play  by  the  ball  having  hit  the  stick  of  his  No. 
2  or  a  pony's  foot  will  not  cause  him  to  ride  over  it. 


Duties  of  No.  3  121 

His  distance  back,  however,  sliould  be  regulated  by 
the  distance  of  the  opposing  No.  2.  If  he  has  No. 
2  covered  so  that  he  can  not  get  the  ball,  No.  3's  Fig.  24. 
duty  is  done,  and  no  kick  can  come  if  he  doesn't 
get  the  ball  himself.  Then  if  the  ball  is  moving 
in  the  offensive  direction,  it  is  up  to  No.  4  to  be 
ahead  of  his  man  and  come  through  and  take  it. 
Similarly,  if,  on  the  defensive,  No.  3  and  his  cor- 
responding opponent  ride  over  the  ball,  it  is  up  to 
No.  2  to  be  ahead  of  his  man  and  get  the  ball.  In 
any  case  No.  3  has  done  his  first  duty  when  he  has 
covered  his  man. 

When  his  side  is  knocking  in,  No.  3  should  take  When  his 
his  place  about  ten  yards  out  and  somewhere  be-  side  knocks  in. 
tween  the  ball  and  the  goal  posts.  No.  4  hits  the  pv  4 
ball  and  follows  it  through,  thus  temporarily  pass- 
ing No.  3,  unless  the  team  shall  prefer  to  have  No.  3 
knock  in,  an  equally  advantageous  play^  in  my  judg- 
ment. If  there  is  any  check.  No.  3  and  No.  4  can 
find  their  places,  passing  the  word  as  they  pass. 
No.  3's  business  is  to  see  that  the  ball  is  not  met  by 
the  opposing  No.  1  or  some  other  player  and  sent 
through  the  goal  posts.  He  should  take  up  a  posi- 
tion about  ten  yards  in  the  field  and  between  the 
point  where  the  ball  is  placed  and  the  goal  post. 
If  the  ball  went  out  from  near  the  post  he  should 
be  directly  in  front  of  the  goal,  and  in  any  case  he 
should  place  himself  in  position  so  as  to  save  goal 
in  case  the  ball  is  met  or  returned  before  he  and 
No.  4  have  resumed  places.  No.  3  may  also  line  up 
advantageously  between  No.  4  and  No.  2  as  sug- 
gested by  Crane.     (See  p.  86.) 

When  the  opponents  are  knocking  in,  No.  3's  wiieu  the 
business  is  near  the  boards  to  stop  No.  2  getting  the  opponents 
ball  and  carrying  it  down.  knock  in. 


122 


As  TO  Polo 


Back  the  ball 
straight. 


Don't  take  it 
round. 


Exception. 


Cro.'^sing  in 
front  of  goal. 


Long  strokes 
ilesirable, 
especially  back 
strokes. 


What  I  have  said  iu  other  places  in  regard  to  the 
carrying  of  the  ball  round  has  particular  force  in 
its  application  to  the  position  of  No.  3.  No.  3 
should  hit  to  his  own  players,  not  to  himself. 

He  should  back  the  ball  in  the  line  it  is  traveling 
and  send  it  almost  directly  back,  selecting  such 
little  deflection  to  the  side  as  he  can  safely  make, 
so  as  to  hit  it  clear  of  the  nearest  opposing  player 
and  his  pony  or  toward  where  one  of  Ids  own  side 
is  waiting. 

Although  it  is  particularly^  vicious  for  No.  3  to 
take  the  ball  around,  there  is  always  the  exception 
if  the  ball  is  traveling  at  an  angle  with  the  goal 
line  he  is  defending  and  he  gets  a  particularly  good 
chance  at  turning  on  it,  and,  in  turning  it,  he  is 
hitting  in  a  general  direction  toward  the  goal  he 
is  trj'ing  to  make,  not  leaving  for  himself  a  difficult 
angle  on  his  next  stroke  or  riding  in  a  great  circle 
which  the  opponents  can  cut  across  to  block  him 
at  any  point,  it  is  sometimes  justifiable  for  him  to 
turn  the  ball.  This  is  only  justifiable  as  an  oft'ense 
play  when  near  the  opponents'  goal  or  in  defending 
when  the  cross-field  stroke  will  send  the  ball  clearly 
ahead  and  well  across  the  field.  It  should  never 
be  played  at  the  risk  of  making  a  safety. 

No.  3  should  always  remember  that  players  fol- 
lowing can  spoil  a  forward  stroke  by  crooking  when 
a  back  stroke  can  be  safely  got  oft:'.  He  should  be 
absolutely  sure  he  is  taking  no  chance  of  getting 
caught  this  way  if  he  tries  to  carry  it  ahead. 

No.  3  and  No.  4  are  two  men  on  the  team  who  can 
hit  long  strokes  with  impunity,  and  No.  3  should 
make  a  particular  efl'ort  to  get  his  back  strokes  long. 
There  is  nothing  that  reflects  itself  quicker  on  the 
cliange  from   ottense  to  defense  than   a   long  back 


Duties  op  No.  3  12?> 

stroke.  Players  of  the  same  side  get  to  expect  it  and  Must  be  sure 
turn  it  rapidly  to  account.  In  the  desire  to  secure  I'itter. 
distance,  the  greatest  care  should  be  taken  not  to 
sacrifice  the  certainty  of  hitting,  as  that  is  one  of  the 
most  important  parts  of  No.  3's  play  and  one  of  the 
things  most  to  be  taken  into  account  in  selecting 
a  plajer  for  the  position. 

Crane  adds :  'Trotect  your  back  at  all  costs  and 
feed  the  ball  up  to  your  No.  1  and  No.  2.  Change 
with  your  back  often  to  throw  opposing  No.  1  out 
and  to  equalize  more  the  physical  strain.  Always 
change  with  No.  2  where  time  can  be  saved.  If 
back  is  turned  upon  your  back  stroke,  don't  turn 
until  you  are  sure  the  ball  has  started  up,  then  play 
conservatively  back  to  give  your  No.  4  confidence 
to  change  places  with  you." 

In  summing  up  my  directions  to  No.  3,  I  should 
say,  "Be  vigilant !  vigilant !  vigilant !" 


CHAPTER  XI 


DUTIES  OF  No.  4 


First  duty 
defending 
goal. 


Don't  play 
too  close. 


Xo.  4  or  back  is  the  defensive  man  on  the  team 
and  the  court  of  last  resort.  He  should  learn  to 
have  a  timidity  in  regard  to  his  goal  line  that  ren- 
ders him  apprehensive  of  every  possible  move  against 
it.  He  should  be  cautious  about  playing  close  up 
to  the  line. 

Crane  remarks :  "It  is  safer  to  be  close  up  as 
long  as  back  has  the  opposing  No.  1  securely  cov- 
ered than  to  be  back  a  part  of  a  stroke.-''  He  makes 
the  general  comment  that  a  back  should  stay  as 
close  in  as  is  safe  and  be  alert  to  turn  either  way. 

By  playing  deeper  he  can  usually  accomplish 
more  than  he  can  by  riding  in  and  toying  with  fire. 
When  I  say  playing  deeper,  I  do  not  mean  from  more 
than  tliirty  or  forty  yards  away,  according  to  the 
speed  of  the  play.  These  distances  may  be  short- 
ened somewhat  as  the  opponent's  goal  is  neared,  in 
order  that  he  may  be  in  position  to  rush  through 
and  make  a  goal,  but  No.  4  must  remember  that, 
however  brilliant  his  rushes  may  be,  however  strong 
he  may  be  in  getting  through  on  the  offensive  oc- 
casionally, his  job  is  to  defend  the  goal,  and  his 
stunt  is  turning  the  ball  back  whenever  it  gets 
started  toward  his  goal  and  passes  No.  8.  More 
backs  make  mistakes  by  playing  close  up  to  their 
lines  and  coming  in  to  charge  than  by  staying  far 
back.     In  the  main,  the  back  must  remember  that 

124 


Duties  of  No.  4  125 

if  he  has  played  his  defense  well  he  has  played  his 
game  well. 

No.   4  should   be   a   successful   maneuverer,   who  Outmaneuver 
ought  to  be  watching  all  the  time  to  see  how  the  the  opposing 
opposing  No.   1   is  stacking  up — what  sort  of  po-      ^'   * 
sition  he  is  making  for  himself.     No.  4  should  be 
very  adroit  at  getting  the  opposing  No.  1  started 
fast  and  then  pulling  up   and  clearing  him.     He 
should  be  watching  all  the  time  to  keep  the  opposing  Keep  horse 
No.  1,  if  possible,  on  the  nigh  side  so  as  to  have  his  onthemgh 
own  mallet  side  clear.    It  is  occasionally  justifiable  ^^*^*^" 
for  No.  4  to  meet  the  ball  where  he  is  perfectly  sure 
he  is  going  to  hit  it,  or  where  he  sees  that  No.  8  is  in  When  to 
a  favorable  position  to  get  it  in  case  he  misses  it,   "^^^^  ^^^^  ^^^^■ 
in  which  case  No.  4  should  pass  the  word  to  No.  3  to 
take   the   defensive   position.      Under   the   head   of 
"Match  plajing"  I  have  discussed  the  strategy  of 
changing  the  whole  style  of  playing  the  last  few 
moments  of  a  match  when  the  game  is  otherwise 
hopelessly  lost. 

On  the  throw  in,   No.  4   should   line   up   a   few    Fig.  3. 
yards  off  half  way  between  the  positions  of  No.  2  and 
No.  3.     As  the  ball  rolls  back  and  looks  as  though    On  the 
it  were  going  to  pass  through  the  opposing  couples,    throw  in. 
he  should  swing  his  pony  gradually  until  the  ball 
passes  the  last  couple,  when  he  should  dash  in  and 
try  to  get  the  ball  for  a  rush  to  goal.     If  the  oppos- 
ing No.  4  is  similarly  alert  in  making  the  rush,  they 
will  have  to  guard  mutually  against  collision,  but 
it  is  No.  4's  job  either  to  get  it  or  to  prevent  the 
other  No.  4  from  getting  it.    If,  on  the  throw  in,  any 
of  the  opponents  get  the  ball.  No.  4  should  imme- 
diately start  back  to  defend. 

The  essence  of  No.  4's  job  is  to  back  the  ball,  as   Paeking 
is  carefully  explained  in  the  chapter  on  "Use  of  the  ball. 


iL*(; 


As  TO  Polo 


Clear  the 
oncoming    rush 
of  ponies. 


Don't  hit 
high  in  air. 

Never  cut 
across  the  line 
of  the  ball. 


Fig.  4. 

No.  4  should 
knock  in. 


the  mallet,"  swingiug  his  mallet  along  the  line  the 
ball  is  traveling  for  certainty  in  hitting,  and  always 
taking  care  to  see  where  the  rush  of  oncoming 
ponies  is  and  to  send  the  ball  where  it  will  not  be 
liit  by  ponies  or  players  as  they  come.  It  is  easier 
to  hit  to  the  left  than  to  the  right,  as  it  is  easier  to 
draw  the  stroke  across  behind  the  pony  than  to 
make  the  cut  stroke  to  deflect  it.  When  he 
has  time  No.  4  should  wait  until  he  is  well  past  the 
ball  before  hitting  it  so  as  to  get  the  full  force  of 
the  swing  and  not  to  knock  it  into  the  ground.  But 
he  must  take  due  care  not  to  j)ass  too  far  so  as  to 
send  the  ball  too  high  in  air,  as  that  is  more  likely 
to  be  stopped  and,  besides,  loses  distance. 

Xo.  4  should  never  cut  across  the  line  of  the  ball 
in  trying  to  save  goal,  unless  the  ball  has  stopped 
moving.  In  this  case  he  has  an  equally  good  chance 
for  any  direction  if  he  can  cross  the  line  the  biill 
has  been  traveling  without  fouling,  and,  in  case  of  a 
forward  stroke,  be  sure  of  not  being  crooked.  He 
should  remember  that,  more  than  anything  else,  his 
job  is  to  hit  the  ball  and  hit  it  true.  More  depends 
upon  his  stroke  than  upon  that  of  any  other  player, 
and  he  must  not  try  fancy  strokes  when  a  plain  one 
will  do  the  work  as  well  or  better.  His  job  is  not  a 
spectacular  one — it  is  a  safe  one. 

On  the  knock  in.  No.  4  usually  hits  the  first  stroke. 
He  is  relied  upon  to  hit  a  long  stroke,  and  he  should 
try  to  have  the  ball  strike  the  boards  every  time.  If 
he  feels  he  can  not  send  it  to  the  boards,  either 
because  the  ball  is  too  near  the  goal  posts  or  because 
he  is  not  a  strong  enough  or  sure  enough  hitter,  he 
should  hit  the  ball  as  near  along  the  back  line  as 
he  can,  following  it  fast  and  hitting  the  second 
stroke  to  the  boards. 


Duties  op  No.  4  127 

riidei-  no  cireunistaiK'es  should  No.  4  hit  the  ball 
directly  out  in  front  of  the  posts.  If  there  is  a 
signal  for  cross-goal  hitting.  No.  4  should  hit  well 
across,  so  that  the  ball  will  get  well  toward  the 
boards  of  the  other  side ;  but  he  should  never  send 
the  ball  straight  down  the  field  with  the  expectation 
of  hitting  it  a  second  time.  The  balance  of  chance 
is  all  against  the  side  that  makes  this  flash  play.  I 
have  seen  more  goals  lost  by  silly  hitting  out  toward 
the  center,  when  the  ball  could  just  as  well  have  gone 
toward  the  side  lines,  than  from  any  other  one  un- 
necessary and  foolish  misplay.  Play  safe,  and  safety 
demands  tliat  the  ball  be  not  knocked  in  front  of  the 
goal  you  are  defending.  The  turf  in  front  of  the 
goal  posts,  for  one  tiling,  is  cut  up  more  than  at  any 
other  part,  as  it  gets  the  most  wear,  and  the  ball  is 
less  likely  to  travel  true  and  is  more  likely  to  bounce 
here  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  territory  ad- 
jacent to  the  end  lines. 

When   the   opposing   side   is   knocking   in,   No.   4   When  the 
should  take  his  position  as  the  second  defense,  ex-   opponents 
pecting  No.  3  to  get  the  first  stroke  at  the  ball  and   knock  in. 
send  it  back.     No.  4  should  be  placed   nearer  the    pjg  4 
center  of  the   field   than   No.  3   and   not  very  far 
away,  and  should  not  meet  the  ball  unless  the  ball 
has  already  stopped  or  his  stroke  is  absolutely  cer- 
tain, or  unless  No.  3  has  got  past  him  and  is  taking 
his  defensive  position. 

,  On  the  ottensive,  the  back  should  place  himself 
in  such  a  way  as  to  back  up  his  No.  3  and  No.  2 
and  to  be  ahead  of  the  opposing  No.  1  in  a  rush  for 
the  opponents'  goal. 

In  case  his  No.  1,  No.  2,  and  No.  3  ride  over  the   Fig.  i). 
ball  and  No.  4  is  next,  he,  of  course,  comes  through, 
calling  "(to  on"  to  his  side. 


128  As  TO  Polo 

Fig.  20.  If  the  opposing  No.  1,  however,  has  him  covered 

so  that  he  can  liot  get  through  to  hit  the  ball,  No.  4 
When  to  call  mnst  then  call  "Turn"  or  its  equivalent,  pull  up, 
"Turn."  and  watch  for  his  own  side  to  get  round.    If  he  sees 

his  No.  3  is  well  in  position  to  defend,  he  can  rush 
the  opposing  No.  1  to  prevent  his  having  time  to 
turn  or  pass  the  ball,  but  in  such  case  he  should 
call  to  No.  3  to  go  back  and  protect  goal. 

Crane  says  that  No.  4  should  always  rush  the  op- 
posing No.  1  if  his  No.  3  is  around  first. 

I  have  seen  beginners,  when  told  to  go  back,  think 
it  meant  necessarily  to  pull  up  and  go  to  some  place 
behind  them,  when  in  reality  they  were  heading 
back  and  all  they  needed  was  to  whip  up  and  go 
ahead.  No.  3  and  No.  4  should  understand  clearly 
what  "back"  means.  It  means  to  go  toward  the 
defensive  goal.  It  means  j)laying  a  deeper  defensive, 
so  if  they  are  heading  back,  a  signal  to  go  back  in- 
dicates that  they  must  go  ahead  fast. 

No.  4  should  always  be  looking  for  a  chance  to  get 

through  with  the  ball.     The  most  brilliant  backs 

I  have  known  have  been  those  who,  when  a  chance 

Value  in  came  for  a   rush,   came  crashing  through  at  high 

rushing  speed,  being  in   a   better  position  to  get  up  high 

forward.  speed  because  their  ponies  have  less  rushing  and 

turning  to  do  and  are  therefore  fresher. 

When  he  comes  through  this  way,  back  should  be 
Fig.  9.  particularly  careful  to  call  "Go  on"  to  his  men,  as 

his  rush  is  not  the  expected  thing,  his  job  being  to 
play  the  defensive,  and  his  own  players  will  not 
necessarily  expect  him  to  come  through  unless  they 
are  informed  that  he  is  doing  it.  Having  rushed 
up  into  the  game,  back  should  be  very  careful  to 
pass  the  word  to  No.  3,  so  that  No.  3  will  assume 
his  responsibilities,  and  No.  3  should  play  religiously 


Duties  of  No.  4  129 

back,  preferably  fairly  deep,  and  stay  there  until 
the  opportunity  comes  to  change  to  his  own  place,   changiiii 
When  the  ball  turns  direction,  or  when  it  is  taken 
round  the  field,  there  is  usually  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunit}^  to  regain  position. 

In  summing  up  No.  4's  job,  I  should  say  "Sure, 
careful,  deep,  resourceful,  and  always  safe,  very 
safe." 


CHAPTER  XII 

DUTIES  OF  THE  CAI'TAIN 

The  captain's  work  may  be  divided  into  two  dis- 
tinct parts,  which  will  be  treated  separately.     One 
is  the  work  of  the  captain  of  the  polo  clnb  and  the 
other  is  that  of  the  captain  of  a  team. 
Club  captain.  ^^  i^  the  dnty  of  the  captain  of  the  clnb  to  see 

that  all  players  get  their  share  of  polo.     He  shouhl 
be  most  scrnpulons  in  enconraging  the  poorer  play- 
Encourage  ers  and  beginners.     There  is  always  the  necessity 
poorer  player.s.    of  steering  between  the  dititicnlty,  on  the  one  hand, 
of  depriving  everybody  of  fast  polo  by  giving  the 
poorer  players  eqnal  chance  with  the  better  ones, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  dithcnlty  of  disconraging 
the  poorer  players  and  beginners  by  not  giving  them 
their   money's   worth   and   an   opportnnity   to   play 
often  enongh.    The  captain  shonld  be  very  resonrce- 
fnl  to  overcome  these  difficulties — for  example,  by 
getting  the  better  players  ont  early,  so  that  they 
may  have  a  few  periods  before  the  others  come  or 
so  gi'ouping  the  teams  as  to  let  the  poorer  players 
play  for  certain  periods  and  the  better  players  play 
Strength  of  i"    others.      One    thing    shonld    be    borne    in    min<l 
a  club  lies  in         always,  and  that  is  that  the  strength  of  a  polo  clnb 
the  average          jis  ^  club  lies  not  in  the  strength  of  its  best  three 
strength  of          ^^,  ^^^^^^  j^^^^^^  1^^^^   -^^   ^l^p  strength  of  the  average 

player:  that  if  a  captain  builds  all  his  hopes  upon 
his  best  men  and  sacrifices  to  their  development  and 
welfare    the    interests    of    others,    he   is    sacrificing 

130 


players. 


Duties  op  the  Captain  131 

the  interests  oi"  his  club.  The  continued  playing  of 
any  one  set  of  plaj'ers  is  uncertain.  If  the  club 
gets  dependent  on  them,  when  they  go  out  the  club 
is  lost,  whereas,  if  the  captain  ado|>ts  the  pcdicy  of 
developing  the  best  qualities  of  each  new  player  and 
encouraging  him  by  giving  him  every  opportunity, 
there  will  be  a  crop  of  men^ready  to  ste])  into  the  Playing  on 
place  of  any  man  going  out — who  will  very  shortly  tt'sJi"  makes 
become  good  players,  just  by  reason  of  the  fact  «"<»tU»iti.veis. 
that  they  are  to  play  on  the  team.  My  experience 
has  been  that  with  the  pr(>per  opportunity  and 
coaching  a  i)layer  may  be  rounded  out  very  rapidly. 
When  L  Avas  coaching  the  university  football  team  Potential  value 
at  Harvard,  1  almost  ])referred  to  begin  a  new  of  new  men. 
season  with  new  material  than  to  have  too  much  of 
the  old.  It  never  discourages  me  to  i)ut  in  a  new 
man.  Start  the  players  right  and  the  responsibility 
of  playing  a  team  game  with  a  team  that  has  won 
its  s|)urs  will  prove  to  be  an  incentive  to  almost 
any  player  that  will  result  in  his  molding  himself 
witliin  an  almost  incredibly  short  period  of  time. 
The  fact  that  there  are  experienced  men  before  and 
behind  him  enables  him  to  find  himself  very  much 
more  rapidly  than  he  would  if  left  to  himself,  floun- 
dering about  in  tli(^  chaos  of  a  beginner's  polo 
game. 

Wheie   the   polo   s(piad    is    twelve   or   less,   there  Every  one 
should  be  an  agreement  among  the  men  to  give  up  should  come 
all  minor  engagements  and  present  themselves  at  ''^^^• 
the  field  in  time  to  make  a  game  so  that  five  or  six 
players  will  not  be  kept  waiting  until  some  belated 
one  or  two  arrive.     The  captain  shoidd  endeavor  to 
stimulate    among    the    players    a    spirit    that    will 
make    them    alive    to    their    responsibilities    in    this 
respect. 


132 


As  TO  Polo 


Periods 
allowed  each 
player 
proportioned 
to  ponies. 


Arrangement 
of  teams  in 
practice. 


Hours  longer 
when  players 
are  many. 


Players  should  be  given  opi^ortunities  to  plaj-  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  number  of  ponies  they 
have.  The  one-pony  man  is  entitled  to  one  period 
in  three;  a  two-pony  man  is  expected  to  drop  out 
much  oftener  than  a  three-pony  man,  while  a  man 
who  maintains  four  or  more  ponies  should  play  right 
along  and  get  cut  out  of  play  only  one  or  two  periods 
in  an  afternoon. 

Where  more  than  twelve  are  out.  I  have  found 
that  it  pays  to  arrange  three  teams,  each  a  different 
color — red,  yellow,  and  blue.  The  Reds  and  Yellows 
play  one  period  and  then  the  Reds  and  Blues  have 
a  period;  the  Reds  thus  play  twice  in  succession. 
The  Red  team  then  goes  out  and  the  Yellows  and 
Blues  have  a  turn.  Where  there  are  more  than 
tii'teen  players,  four  teams  can  be  formed  and  no 
intervals  allowed,  as  when  the  first  two  teams  to 
play  ride  off  the  field,  two  more  teams  ride  on,  and 
thus  the  maximum  of  playing  is  provided.  In  the 
case  of  men  with  only  one  pony,  adjustments  can 
be  made  by  substituting  the  men  with  several  in 
their  places.  Although  this  makes  a  constant  shift- 
ing of  the  personnel  of  most  of  the  teams,  it  is 
advisable  except  in  preparing  for  matches.  Then 
the  players  that  are  to  be  played  as  teams  should  be 
kept  as  much  as  possible  together  and  the  changes 
made  in  other  groups  of  players. 

AAHiere  there  are  great  numbers,  the  hours  of  play 
should  be  longer,  so  as  to  give  everybody  a  chance 
to  go  in.  Where  the  players  are  few,  the  hours  of 
play  should  be  shorter  and  the  intervals  longer. 
AVhere  a  player  for  any  reason  wants  to  stay  out, 
he  should  give  notice  to  the  captain  immediately  on 
dismounting,  not,  as  usually  seems  to  be  the  practice, 
just  as  the  teams  are  mounting  to  get  into  place. 


Duties  of  the  Captain 


133 


I  believe  it  advisable  to  have  little  painted  tin  slips, 
with  the  names  of  the  men,  which  can  be  placed 
in  a  rack  where  all  can  see.  The  captain,  having 
selected  his  Blue  team,  sets  up  their  names  and  po- 
sitions on  the  Blue  rack.  He  should  then  designate 
the  captain  of  the  team  as  they  go  out.  The  Red 
team  should  be  on  the  Bed  rack  and  the  captain 
designated.  As  soon  as  the  bell  rings  practice  should 
start,  and  there  should  always  be  an  umpire  or 
referee— one  of  the  players,  or  some  person  on  horse- 
back— to  throw  in  the  ball  and  start  the  play.  Be- 
fore any  line  up  is  called,  about  ten  minutes  should 
be  devoted  to  limbering  up  and  getting  the  ponies 
worked  for  a  few  minutes  and  the  strokes  steadied. 

For  this  warming  up,  it  is  best  to  have  the  goal 
posts  moved  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  toward  the  side 
of  the  field  in  order  that  the  concentration  of  ponies 
at  the  goal  may  not  tear  up  the  field  in  the  center 
of  the  goal,  thus  saving  the  turf  between  and  about 
the  goal  posts.  If  this  practice  is  pursued  the  goal 
line  itself  will  be  infinitely  less  cut  up,  as  in  an  hour 
or  two  of  actual  play  there  will  not  be  more  than 
fifteen  or  twenty  goals  made — say,  eight  at  each 
end.  In  the  practice  beforehand,  there  are  likely 
to  be  forty  at  each  end  in  ten  minutes. 

It  is  proper  to  let  the  poorer  jjlaj'ers  and  begin- 
ners have  the  less  important  posts  in  the  team  play 
in  practice.  A  new  man  should  go  to  No.  1  until  he 
earns  the  right  to  move  into  the  somewhat  more  re- 
sponsible positions.  Unless  developing  a  player  for 
some  particular  and  immediate  purpose,  I  put  my 
strongest  men  in  the  positions  of  No.  2  and  No.  3 
and  put  the  weaker  players  at  the  ends. 

Colors  should  be  ready  and  strapped  onto  the 
players   as   they   start  to   play,   and   an   attendant. 


Always  have 
a  referee. 


Teu  minutes 
to  limber  up 
before  practice. 


Saving  the 
turf  between 
the  goal  posts 


Poorer  players 
put  at  Xo.  1 
and  Xo.  4. 


Colors  for 
practice. 


134 


As  TO  Polo 


Team  captain. 


See  that  men 
are  holding 
their  positions 


Fig.  17. 


should  be  on  hand  to  see  that  each  man  has  his 
colors  oif  before  he  leaves  the  field.  If  this  is  not 
done,  the  players  will  wear  them  away  as  sure  as 
fate  and  often  forget  to  bring  them  back,  so  tliat 
the  club  will  be  constantly  having  to  supply  new 
colors. 

The  team  captain  is  charged  with  the  conduct  of 
the  game  and  the  direction  of  the  play. 

The  most  important  part  of  his  duty  is  to  make 
sure  that  his  men  are  holding  their  positions.  If 
play  is  going  badly  against  his  team,  he  should  be 
able  to  size  up  the  reason  for  it.  More  than  likely 
it  is  the  fault  of  some  one  i^layer.  Not  long  ago 
I  was  playing  on  a  team  that  by  all  rules  should 
have  been  very  strong  and  should  have  easily  beaten 
its  competitors,  but  it  didn't.  I  got  worried  and 
began  analyzing  the  reason  for  it,  watching  each 
player  with  the  greatest  solicitude,  but  for  some 
<lays  I  failed  to  detect  the  weakness  till  by  the 
])rocess  of  elimination  it  gradually  came  to  me  that 
the  weak  place  was  at  No.  2,  the  position  I  was  play- 
ing. I  then  got  busy  and  began  looking  less  for 
faults  in  others.  Some  men  get  a  fancy  in  their 
heads  that  they  can  help  by  going  back  and  helping 
another  of  their  own  side.  That  is  most  likely  to  be 
the  case  when  the  game  is  going  against  them  and 
No.  2  or  No.  3  get  it  into  their  heads  that  they  can 
heli»  No.  4  by  going  back  and  making  his  back 
strokes  for  him.  If  there  is  anything  that  kills  a 
team,  it  is  that.  The  best  way  they  can  help  No. 
4  is  by  holding  their  positions  and  making  the  ad- 
vance ettective  when  the  time  comes  to  take  the 
ball  ahead.  The  captain  should  see  that  players  liold 
their  position,  even  if  the  game  is  going  against 
them,  cover  their  man,  and  be  sure  to  let  the  fault  lie 


Duties  op  the  Captain  135 

with  some  other  player,  if  fault  there  be,  and  not 
add  to  it  by  turning  the  whole  game  into  hopeless 
confusion  by  leaving  their  posts  to  do  somebody 
else's  work.  The  fact  is,  no  player  can  do  anybody 
else's  work,  and  with  one  position  uncovered  the 
team  is  crippled. 

The  captain  should  be  most  scrupulously  careful 
not  to  blame  other  men  for  his  own  misplay.  If  he 
does,  he  will  soon  lose  his  influence  with  the  team 
and  the  spirit  of  the  team  will  go  to  pieces.  No  Criticising 
player  finds  fault  with  a  just  criticism,  even  when  the  team, 
expressed  in  extremely  forcible  language.  Even 
though  sore  for  a  few  moments,  when  he  comes  to 
tliink  it  over  and  sees  that  he  is  to  blame,  he  couies 
back  chastened  in  spirit  and  bearing  no  ill  feeling. 
Polo  is  not  a  game  where  you  can  stop  and  say 
"Please."  The  orders  of  the  captain  must  be  sharp, 
immediate,  and  peremptory,  and  instantly  obeyed 
l)y  his  players. 

The  captain  should  remember  that  no  man  can  Don't  criticise 
play  well  with  constant  criticism.  All  players  must  too  much, 
be  encouraged.  Anyone  will  go  to  pieces  if  the  only 
words  that  come  from  the  lips  of  a  captain  are  those 
of  blame.  Every  encouraging  symptom  should  be 
noted,  and  j)raise  should  be  given  wherever  praise 
is  due  and  in  equal  measure  to  the  blame. 

The  captain  should  make  sure  that  the  men  do   Keep  an  eye 
those  simple  things  so   necessary  for  their   proper   on  the  detail, 
playing  which   are  carelessly  left   out  by  a   great 
many  players.     He  should  tell   them  to  feel  their 
mallet  heads  before  mounting  for  each  period  in  a 
match.      He   should   stir   them   up   to   be   ready   on 
time.     He  should  insist  upon  quick  lining  up,  each 
man  taking  his  place  when  the  ball  goes  out.     He   :\rakethomen 
should  train  each  player  so  that,  when  the  ball  goes  line  up  (luickly, 


136 


As  TO  Polo 


Choosing 
of  sides. 


No  talking 
back  on  field. 


Captain  only 
shall  criticise. 


out  of  bounds,  he  will  gallop  rapidly  to  his  position 
as  though  the  play  were  still  in  process  and  then 
stop  and  get  his  wind  after  he  is  in  place,  not  before. 
Xearlv  two-thirds  of  the  players  I  have  seen  have  the 
fault  of  pulling  up  and  taking  too  much  time  getting 
into  position  after  the  ball  goes  outside,  with  the 
result  that  they  are  reaching  their  position  when 
the  ball  is  thrown  or  knocked  out,  instead  of  being 
in  it.  If  the  referee  or  knocker-in  is  at  all  expedi- 
tious, a  quick  man  can  take  advantage  of  this  care- 
lessness of  his  opponents  to  be  on  hand  and  get  the 
ball  a  great  many  times  when  a  little  promptness 
on  the  part  of  the  opposing  phners  would  have  pre- 
vented it. 

It  is  the  captain's  business  before  the  game  to 
toss  up  for  choice  of  sides.  In  choosing  sides  he 
should  take  into  account  sun  and  wind.  It  is  easier 
to  play  down  the  wind  than  against  it,  and  if  it 
happens  that  the  field  lies  so  that  the  sun  is  in 
the  eyes,  that  might  offset  a  head  wind  and  make  it 
wise  to  choose  the  side  with  the  back  to  the  sun. 

The  captain  should  allow  no  talking  back  on  the 
field  by  the  players.  In  the  main,  talking  on  the 
field  by  the  players  should  be  confined  to  the  words 
which  I  have  indicated  under  the  head  of  "Team 
play,"  which  amounts  to  keeping  your  side  informed 
as  to  what  is  going  on,  but  the  captain  of  the  team 
should  speak  and  coach  the  other  players.  A  team 
will  listen  to  the  orders  or  criticisms  of  the  captain, 
whose  business  it  is  to  talk,  but  ill  spirit  results 
if  all  players  undertake  to  coach  or  find  fault  with 
each  other.  I  do  not,  however,  mean  to  preclude 
old  experienced  players  sending  new  men  back  to 
their  places,  if  they  come  in  to  crowd  them  or  get 
out  of  place.     In  fact,  any  plaj'er  who  gets  out  of 


Duties  of  the  Captain  137 

place  must  expect  to  lieui-  of  it  very  sharply.    There 

is  no  way  a  man  can  be  trained  to  learn  his  place 

except  bj'  a  man  whose  territory  is  invaded  letting 

him  know  he  is  out  of  place,  and  nobody  can  blame 

him  if  it  is  a  fairly  sharp  reminder.     The  captain 

should  be  particularly  careful  never  to  scold  the  when  not 

player  for  having  done  badly  if  his  intentions  were  to  blame. 

right;  that  is,  if  he  misses  a  stroke  or  does  not  get 

his     pony    pulled     up     and    turned    fast    enough 

to  cover  some  other  plaj'er  or  players,  especially 

if  called  upon  to  ride  an  extremely  good  horseman 

or  man  on  a  i^articularly  fast  pony,  or,  in  other 

words,   where   he   has   done   practically   everything 

that  he  ought  but  did  not  do  it  quite  well  enough. 

Vituperation  in  such  cases  will  only  do  harm,  and 

the  player  scolded  will  be  discouraged,  not  helped. 

If  he  has  turned  in  a  circle  instead  of  pulling  up  When  to  blame. 

in  his  tracks  and  turning,  that  is  an  incorrect  play ; 

he  should  have  known  better  and  should  be  roundly 

brought  to  task.     Or  if  he  has  failed  to  ride  off  or 

crook  the  other  man's  stick,  letting  him  have  a  free 

swing  when  he  could  have  prevented  it,  or  if  he  has 

begun  his  stroke  at  the  ground  and  ridden  past  the 

ball  before  his  mallet  got  around,  the  captain  should 

very  properl}-  call  his  attention  sharply  to  his  error. 

In  selecting  the  teams  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind   Selecting  of 
the  following  facts  :  men  for 

Of  an  average  sixteen  strokes,  positions. 

No.  2  will  hit  six. 

No.  3  will  hit  five. 

No.  4  will  hit  three. 

No.  1  will  hit  two. 

It  is  No.  2's  position  to  be  on  the  ball  all  the  Positions 
time  on  the  offensive,  and  No.  3's  to  be  on  the  ball  compared. 
on  the  defensive,  and,  as  a  natural  result,  they  get 


138  As  TO  Polo 

most  of  the  hitting.  Thus,  on  the  general  theory 
of  chance,  as  No.  2  is  in  position  where  most  of 
the  hitting  comes  naturally,  the  most  accurate  hitter 
should  be  selected  for  the  position.  I  believe  that, 
except  for  special  circumstances,  a  team  will  be 
strongest  if  its  best  player  is  at  No.  2,  its  next  best 
at  No.  3,  its  next  best  at  No.  4,  and  the  poorest 
at  No.  1,  which  is  the  position  in  which  a  poor  player 
can  do  the  least  harm.  The  position  of  No.  1  has 
very  naturally  come  to  be  looked  down  upon.  In 
view  of  the  foregoing  it  is  almost  paradoxical  to 
say  that  it  is  the  position  where  the  best  player  can 
do  the  most  good,  and  I  have  been  accustomed  to 
measure  the  strength  of  strong  teams  by  their  No. 
1.  In  the  great  international  championship  game 
of  1909  won  by  America  in  England,  L.  AYaterbury, 
supposed  to  be  the  best  player  on  the  American 
team,  was  placed  in  the  position  of  No.  1.  This 
seems  to  be  inconsistent  with  my  general  theory 
of  play,  but,  given  a  team  where  No.  2  and  No.  3 
are  sufficiently  able  to  cover  their  positions  and 
do  it  on  equal  terms  with  the  No.  2  and  No.  3  of 
the  opposing  side,  the  strength  in  the  position  of  No, 
1  is  what  a  business  man  would  call  ''velvet,"  and 
means  goal  after  goal. 

Crane  comments  that  if  the  team  is  winning.  No.  2 
will  hit  oftener,  but  if  the  team  is  losing  and  gen- 
erally on  the  defense,  No.  3  will  have  more  strokes. 

I  believe,  however,  that  in  average  play  No.  2  will 
get  the  most  shots ;  he  hits  more  short  ones,  for  one 
thing.  I  advise  selecting  the  team  on  the  assump- 
tion that  you  are  going  to  win. 

Crane  makes  the  following  comment  in  regard  to 
most  important  qualifications :  ''No.  1  should  be 
deadly  on  goal  and  quick  to  act  on  his  chances.    No. 


Duties  of  the  Captain 


139 


2  should  be  as  sure  as  possible  of  goal  and  the  most 
dashiug,  active  mau  and  chance  taker.  No.  3  should 
be  a  good  strong  hitter  both  ways  on  both  sides 
and  safe  and  sure  at  backing  up  No.  2  or  at  back. 
No.  4  should  be  a  strong  back-hand  hitter  on  both 
sides  and  conservative.  No.  2  and  No.  3  should  be 
very  handy." 

In  preparing  a  team  for  its  matches,  a  captain 
should  not  call  on  his  men  for  supreme  and  unusual 
efforts.  They  are  usually  nervous  and  pitched  to 
high  tension,  and  need  soothing  and  confidence 
rather  than  stimulation.  Some  few  men  are  so  Dontstir 
phlegmatic  that  they  need  to  be  urged,  but  it  is  the  men  up. 
seldom  or  never  that  a  team,  as  a  team,  needs  such 
treatment. 

The  first  thing  a  team  needs  is  confidence.  Cap-  importance 
tains  should  try  to  see  that  the  players  are  confident  of  confidence, 
that  good  team  play  is  going  to  win  against  superior 
individual  \^laj.  I  have,  as  captain,  very  often  told 
my  men  that,  if  the  score  was  not  more  than  three 
goals  against  us  in  the  first  three  periods,  we  were 
sure  to  win,  doing  this  in  the  belief  that  bril- 
liant playing  is  apt  to  tire  itself  and  get  worn 
down  by  cooperative  play  on  the  part  of  four  steady 
and  quiet  players,  and  because  the  expectation  on 
the  part  of  one  team  that  the  other  side  was  going 
to  show  a  kind  of  flash  in  the  pan  tends  to  give 
them  confidence  against  an  adverse  score  which  they 
would  not  have  otherwise.  I  have  often  noticed 
this  to  be  the  case. 

I  also  tell  my  men  to  meet  a  rush  with  a  rush, 
and,  if  their  side  is  pressed  very  hard,  to  grit  their 
teeth  and  come  back  hard  at  their  opponents. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


MATCH  PLAYING 


Selection  of 
sticks. 


Extra  sticks 
at  convenient 
points. 


Distinguishing 
marks  on 
mallet. 


Order  of 
ponies. 


Preparation  for  matches  should  be  much  more 
careful  than  for  practice,  and  there  are  certain  pre- 
cautions which  it  pays  to  take. 

In  the  first  place,  six,  preferably  ten,  mallets  satis- 
factory to  the  player  should  be  secured.  The  player 
should  select  his  best  stick  and  then  get  the  other 
ones  in  the  order  which  he  would  prefer  to  use  them 
and  give  his  second  best  stick  to  somebody  who  will 
agree  to  stand  right  at  the  side  lines  to  deliver  the 
stick  in  case  of  necessity.  Careful  instructions 
should  be  given  to  see  that  the  man  holding  the  stick 
does  ,  not  step  on  the  field  in  delivering  it,  as 
that  would  be  a  foul.  In  very  important  matches.  I 
should  recommend  that  each  team  have  six  men 
stationed  at  various  points— three  on  each  side  of  the 
field,  one  at  the  center,  and  two  on  either  side 
toward  the  ends — each  with  one  mallet  for  each 
of  the  four  players  of  the  team.  Thus,  upon  losing 
a  stick,  a  player  could  gallop  to  the  nearest  point 
and  not  lose  time.  It  is  well  to  have  distinguishing 
marks  on  the  sticks.  I  always  used  to  paint  rings 
around  the  stick  just  next  the  handle.  By  having 
these  colors,  you  can  always  tell  your  own  sticks 
and  not  by  any  chance  get  anybody  else's.  It  is 
alwaj's  well  also  to  ink  your  name  on  the  head  or 
end  of  handle. 

Before  mounting,  the  ponies  should  be  selected 
and  orders  given  as  to  the  exact  order  in  which 

140 


Match  Playing  141 

they  are  to  be  plaj'ed.    Upon  mounting  one  pony,  the  Have  the  next 
groom    should    immediately    have    the    next    pony  l'*^"^  lejidy. 
girthed  up  and  ready  to  go  out  on  a  second's  notice, 
so  that  in  case  of  the  breaking  of  a   curb  chain 
or  of  a  stirrup,  or  some  other  accident  to  the  pony, 
the  next  pony  may  be  mounted  without  loss  of  time, 
as  time  is  golden.     Each  pony  to  be  ridden  in  the 
matcli  should  be  mounted  once  before  the  play  to 
make  sure  that  the  stirrups  are  just  right,  but  it 
is  not  necessary  to  ride  them  before  playing,   al- 
though it  improves  some  of  them  to  do  so.    If  there  Toning  down 
is  any  pony  that  is  particularly  fractious  and  high   ponieti  that  are 
strung,  it  is  often  well  to  let  him  have  several  miles    ***^  "^'i""  ^""f?- 
at  slow  gallop  before  the  play  to  bring  him  within 
the  bounds  of  reason.    Two  or  three  miles  will  steady 
a  pony  immensely  and  not  detract  from  his  stajdng 
power. 

1  have  found  it  useful  at  the  beginning  of  play 
to  tkke  a  sponge  and  moisten  the  breeches  inside 
the  knees  and  legs  so  as  to  assure  the  grip.  By  the 
time  the  trousers  and  saddle  are  sweated  through, 
the  grip  will  be  first  rate,  but  before  that  there  will 
have  to  be  a  time  when  the  saddle  is  slippery,  and, 
particularly  on  nigh-side  strokes,  there  is  a  little 
loss  in  efficiency. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  period  of  jday,  the  play-  Test  the 
ers  should  be  sure  to  test  their  mallet  heads  and  mallets. 
make  sure  that  the  mallet  has  not  begun  to  spring 
or  the  head  to  twist.  If  there  is  the  least  indica- 
tion of  weakness,  the  mallet  should  be  changed,  as, 
once  begun,  the  stick  gives  very  rapidly,  and  there 
is  nothing  more  fatal  to  direction  than  a  twist  in  a 
mallet  head. 

I  am  strongly  opposed  to  di-inking  anything  diir-  Avoid  drinking 
ing  practice  or  play.     In  the  very  h(>ttest  weather   diiiini,' play. 


142  As  TO  Polo 

I  used  to  take  one-half  tumbler  of  oatmeal  water 
in  the  course  of  an  afternoon  of  hard  i)()lo.  I  believe 
tilling  oneself  with  water  makes  one  logy  and  that 
there  is  no  advantage.  The  thirst  might  just  as  well 
be  undergone,  and  I  think  the  player  is  better  for  it. 
I  am  particularly  opposed  to  drinking  stimulants. 
I  do  not  think  the  effect  of  them  lasts,  and  the  player 
gives  out  in  the  last  period  or  so.  I  know  the  team 
on  which  I  played,  which  made  a  rule  of  not  drink- 
ing anything,  was  strongest  in  the  last  part  of  the 
play.  They  used  to  win  against  other  teams,  often  in 
the  last  few  minutes  of  play,  and  I  noticed  those 
Value  of  other  teams  were  apt  to  encourage  themselves  with 

stimulants.  very  stitf  drinks  during  the  intermissions.     In  case 

of  exhaustion  it  may  be  possible  to  play  the  last 
period  on  stimulants,  but  I  doubt  if  it  would  be  of 
value  any  longer  than  that. 
Be  ready  Always  mount  your  pony  before  the  one-minute 

early.  ^gU   rings   and  be  in  your  place  waiting  for  the 

thirty  second  bell  to  ring.  Never  wait,  before 
getting  your  position,  until  that  bell  has  rung. 
Tiie  throw  in.  When  the  thirty  second  bell  rings,  begin  to  count 
slowly  so  as  to  see  if  you  can  guess  approximately 
when  the  ball  will  be  thrown  in,  all  the  time  watch- 
ing carefully  the  hand  of  the  referee.  When  you 
think  the  ball  is  about  to  be  thrown  in,  move  your 
pony,  if  possible,  just  a  little  ahead  of  the  opposing 
pony,  so  as  to  get  the  advantage  at  the  instant  the 
referee  puts  up  his  hand  and  the  ball  is  thrown. 
When  the  ball  is  thrown,  you  should  be  moving 
toward  it. 

In  selecting  the  ponies  for  the  match,  it  is  well 
for  the  players  to  have  an  understanding  so  that 
they  will  know  what  ponies  the  other  players  on 
their  side  will  use.    If  players  are  trying  new  ponies 


Match  Playing 


143 


or  ponies  that  have  particular  characteristics,  it  is 
well  to  make  the  characteristics  fit  oue  into  the 
other.  For  instance,  if  one  plaj'er  has  a  particularly' 
hanch'  pony  and  the  other  player  has  one  that  is  fast 
but  not  handy,  it  is  well,  say,  for  No.  3  to  arrange 
to  ride  his  handy  pony  in  the  period  when  No.  2  is 
riding  an  unhandy  pony,  to  otfset  the  disadvantage. 
A  team  should  be  careful  that  they  don't  all  get 
mounted  on  their  poorest  ponies  at  once ;  this  might 
cripple  their  efficiency  and  lose  the  game  just  by 
reason  of  inability  to  prevent  the  other  team  scoring 
at  will  for  one  period.  I  have  seen  this  happen 
more  than  once,  and  several  times  I  have  seen  very 
bad  effects  from  lack  of  coordination  as  to  mounts. 

Sometimes  a  team  has  to  arrange  the  order  of  its 
mounts  to  meet  peculiarities  in  the  mounts  of  the 
opposing  team,  but  this  happens  much  less  often 
than  adjustments  of  the  mounts  to  fit  in  with  one's 
own  side. 

Players,  before  beginning  a  match,  should  go  out 
and  get  their  stroke  true,  beginning  slowly,  but  being 
perfectly  sure  to  hit  with  the  center  of  the  stick,  and 
then  gradually  increasing  the  speed  until  the  stroke 
comes  right.  There  is  no  need  of  continuing  after 
a  succession  of  strokes  has  indicated  that  the  eye 
and  hand  are  true. 

In  preparing  for  matches,  keep  to  the  ponies  that 
are  to  be  played  in  the  matches,  and  do  not  try  new 
ponies  or  difficult  ones  that  you  are  not  going  to 
play  in  the  games.  It  unsettles  the  stroke  and  ac- 
complishes no  useful  purpose. 

In  preparing  for  a  match,  it  is  well  to  eat  a  hearty 
breakfast,  indulging  in  the  usual  pursuits  during 
the  morning,  take  a  light  luncheon  of  some  well- 
cooked  and  simple  food,  ending  at  least  two  hours 


Prelimhiary 
practice. 


Don't  ride 
strange  ponies 
just  before 
matclies. 


Preparation 
beforehand. 


144 


As  TO  Polo 


Nervousness. 


Delaying  the 
game. 


Strategy  when 
the  game  seems 
lost. 


before  the  game  is  to  begin,  and  taking  particular 
pains  not  to  drink  much,  not  more  than  a  tumbler- 
ful of  liquid  at  the  outside. 

Personally,  I  prefer  to  have  a  set  of  men  who  are 
nervous  before  important  matches  than  men  who  are 
not ;  it  is  apt  to  keep  them  up  at  their  best.  If 
a  man  is  not  nervous  before  an  important  game,  it 
is  apt  to  be  an  indication  that  there  is  something 
the  matter  with  him. 

When,  for  any  reason,  it  is  desired  to  delay  the 
play,  my  practice  is  to  get  the  ball  going  slow  along 
the  side  boards  and  then  stop  over  it,  in  so  far  as 
can  be  done  without  violation  of  the  rules,  sending 
it  short  distances  along  the  boards,  or,  if  in  the 
field,  toward  the  side  or  into  the  corners.  It  never 
pays  to  try  to  delay  the  game,  however,  if  you  have 
a  good  offensive  movement  under  way.  Keep  the 
rush  going  until  you  are  apt  to  lose  the  ball,  when 
sometimes  it  can  be  turned  and  sent  into  the  far 
corners  where  there  is  less  enthusiasm  on  the  part 
of  the  opponents  in  following  and  where  they  can 
not  do  much  harm  whichever  way  they  hit  it.  A 
team  may  want  to  delay  the  game  when  a  player 
has  left  the  team  to  change  his  mallet,  or  when  the 
game  is  drawing  toward  the  end  and  well  in  hand 
and  the  ponies  are  tiring  and  are  needed  later  for 
further  hard  work.  I  always  try  to  save  my  ponies 
all  I  can.  It  is  not  right  to  delay  the  game  by 
not  hitting  in  on  a  knock  in,  or  by  any  violation 
of  rule. 

If  the  game  has  gone  against  you  and  you  have 
one  or  two  goals  to  make,  and  only  a  little  while 
in  which  to  do  it,  the  whole  strategy  of  i>olo  changes. 
Back  should  no  longer  play  safe,  as  he  has  every- 
thing to  lose  and  nothing  to  gain  l)y  doing  it.     Dif- 


Match  Playing  145 

ficult  strokes  should  be  tried  in  place  of  easy  ones, 
and  the  whole  team  should  endeavor  to  meet  the 
ball  at  all  places  and  at  any  angle.  A  possible 
victory  may  be  gained  by  unexpectedly  meeting 
the  ball,  a  change  in  policy  which  will  suri)rise  and 
perhaps  demoralize  the  opposing  team  and  make  the 
difference  between  winning  or  losing  the  game. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


A   rOSSIBLE   WAY   OF    SUPPLYING   PONIES 


pouy  supply- 


How  polo 
ponies  are 
obtained. 


It  seems  strange  to  me  that  men  of  as  great  ability 
in  organization  as  some  of  the  men  now  playing 
polo  have  not  concentrated  their  attention  on  ar- 
ranging for  an  intelligent  and  adequate  supply  of 
Present  lack  of  i)olo  ponies.  The  present  haphazard  means  of  supply 
method  in  polo  in  the  United  States  is  somewhat  as  follows:  A 
number  of  polo  pony  dealers  travel  in  person  or 
by  means  of  agents  over  all  the  Western  States  of 
the  Union  and  part  of  Mexico  in  the  effort  to  find 
likely  material  for  polo  ponies.  I  do  not  suppose 
that  these  various  dealers  and  agents  have  system- 
atically quartered  the  field,  and  so  there  is  no 
doubt  a  good  deal  of  duplicate  traveling.  In  the 
course  of  these  journeys  inspection  is  made  of  many 
thousand  head  of  horses,  from  which  certain  promis- 
ing ones  are  culled,  usually  of  polo  age — that  is, 
more  than  five  years  old.  This  means  that  either 
they  have  not  had  any  training  or  have  had  a  train- 
ing which  may  or  may  not  have  been  calculated 
to  develop  them  in  the  best  way  for  polo,  but  on 
the  general  theory  of  chance  they  have  not  been  so 
trained.  These  horses  are  brought,  at  considerable 
expense,  varying  according  to  the  distance,  to  some 
central  ranch,  usually  in  Texas,  but  sometimes  in 
other  States,  where  the}^  are  trained  by  a  number  of 
expert  men  who  teach  them  the  rudiments  of  polo. 
Not  more  than  half  the  ponies  thus  brought  in,  I 
am  informed,  prove  to  be  valuable  for  polo.     Those 

146 


A  Possible  Way  op  Supplying  Ponies      147 

which  are  approved  are  shipped  in  carload  lots  to 
cities  in  the  different  parts  of  the  United  States 
where  polo  is  played.  These  ponies,  again,  are  main- 
tained on  farms  or  in  stables  near  the  polo  clubs  un- 
til they  have  been  sold,  or  it  is  found  that  they  can 
not  be  sold,  when  they  may  be  transferred  to  some 
other  city. 

The  net  result  of  all  this  is  a  very  considerable  ex- 
pense to  the  polo  player,  as  in  the  process  he  must 
pay  for  the  finishing  and  breaking,  must  give  the 
polo  dealer  his  profit  and  besides  reimburse  him  for 
the  travels  of  the  agents,  the  examinations  of  unfit 
stock,  the  transportation  of  good  and  bad  stock  to 
the  central  farm,  and  its  support  while  being 
trained,  as  well  as  meet  the  loss  on  those  animals 
which  turn  out  to  be  no  good  for  polo,  the  transpor- 
tation and  housing  while  near  the  polo  clubs,  and  the 
loss  oil  those  of  the  animals  which  are  not  sold  off'. 

It  seems  to  me  that  this  condition  ought  to  be   Combination 
met  by  a  combination  among  the  polo  men  in  the  of  polo  players 
United  States,  who  should  jointly  subscribe  for  a   •^"gg^^te^^- 
central  polo  ranch,  to  be  situated  in  some  place  suit- 
able for  grazing  horses   and  training  them  in  the 
winter  months,  where  a  large  herd  of  mares  should 
be   maintained   and   where   polo   ponies   should   be 
systematically   raised   and   trained.     By  beginning 
the  training  at  the  age  of  one  year  or  two,  many 
horses  could  be  made  to  play  which  refuse  to  play 
when  work  is  begun  on  them  at  an  older  age,  and 
miicli   greater  finish   could  be  put  on  the  colts  as 
turned  out. 

1  see  no  reason  why  tliere  should  not  be  a  polo    Polo  stud  book. 
pony  stud  book  in  which  good  sires  and  dams  of 
polo  ponies  should  be  registered  and  record  kept 
of  all  of  the  stock  which  reaches  a  certain  degree 


148 


As  TO  Polo 


Gradual 
formation  of 
polo  stock. 


Large  scale 
suggested. 


Indian  mares 
for  numbers. 


First  cross 
with  Arabs 
for  quality. 

Second  cross 
\\-ith 

thoroughbred 
for  speed. 


of  excellence  in  play,  or  in  producing  playing  ponies. 
Under  certain  rules  such  playing  ponies  and  pro- 
ducers of  players  should  be  classed  as  standard, 
which  will  giye  a  sure  yalue  to  the  strain  from  which 
they  are  deriyed.  In  this  way,  by  gradual  process  of 
elimination  of  stock  that  does  not  tend  to  produce 
good  polo  horses,  a  herd  could  be  obtained  which 
could  be  relied  upon  to  insure  a  uniform  product 
generally  suited  to  the  purposes  of  polo. 

By  bringing  to  this  farm  the  proyed  sires — that 
is,  those  that  haye  gotten  good  polo  ponies — and 
the  proved  mares,  the  dams  or  sisters  of  the  best 
ponies,  and  all  the  polo  mares  which,  having  been 
good  players  during  their  working  days,  are  retired 
to  the  stud  to  i)roduce  their  kind,  the  ranch  could 
gradually  acquire  a  very  considerable  herd  of  horses, 
which  are  likely  to  jjroduce  offspring  in  which 
there  is  a  prevalence  of  those  characteristics 
that  are  desirable  in  polo.  I  should  like  to 
see  it  tried  on  a  scale  which  would  enable  the 
managers  of  the  club  to  go  further  than 
this.  I  think  they  might  try  to  get  an  ideal  stock 
as  a  sort  of  basic  stock  from  which  to  get  large  num- 
bers of  future  ponies.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  ought 
to  be  feasible  to  buy,  say,  1,000  pony  mares  such  as 
are  used  by  the  Xortli  American  Indians,  which  are 
small  and  tough,  and  can  be  had  for  very  little 
moue}'.  In  the  countries  that  I  have  hunted  over  1 
have  seen  these  ponies  sold  at  from  spiO  to  130. 
These  could  be  crossed  with  pure-blooded  Arab  stal- 
lions and  the  fillies  only  kept.  After  three  years  of 
this,  enough  fillies  would  be  on  hand  so  that  the  orig- 
inal mares  could  be  sent  away,  or  at  least  reduced 
by  a  Y)rocess  of  elimination.  These  half -Arab,  half- 
Indian  fillies  could  be  crossed  with  stunted  Enjilish 


A  Possible  Way  of  Supplying  Ponies      149 

thoroughbreds.     I  believe  the  result  of  this  crossing 
would  make  an  excellent  polo  pony  in  a  good  many 
instances.    The  horse  should  be  very  stout  and  very 
tine,  being  half  thoroughbred,  one-fourth  Arab,  and   Additional 
one-fourth    "Cayuse."      The    experiment    might    be   -^I'^b  strain 
made  of  breeding  the  second  time  to  Arab,  so  that   if  "^cessarv. 
the  mares  finally  crossed  with  the  thoroughbreds 
would  be  three-fourths  Arab  and  one-fourth  "Cay- 
use."    It  might  be  that  individual  cases  would  show 
the  necessity  for  additional   strength  of  the  Arab 
strain. 

With  a  stock  of  mares,  now  half  thoroughbred  and  Third  cross  to 
tlie  other  lialf  divided  in  varying  proportions  be-  pei'tormance. 
tween  Arab  and  "Cayuse,"  I  sliould  breed  to  per- 
formers or  to  the  sires  of  performers,  and  it  is 
my  belief  that  at  tlie  end  of  ten  years,  by  this 
method,  we  should  be  in  position  to  be  identifying 
and  registering  those  strains  that  throw  colts  that 
turn  readily  to  polo.  There  should  be  nothing  haj)- 
hazard  about  the  matter.  By  intelligent  selection 
and  supervision  in  the  method  of  breeding,  by  con- 
centration at  one  point  of  all  stock  which  had  proven 
by  experience  that  it  bred  good  polo  ponies,  all  the 
expense  of  annual  travels  and  rounding  up  and  test- 
ing of  horses  would  be  eliminated.  There  would  be 
no  transportation  from  the  place  where  the  pony 
was  reared  to  the  place  where  he  was  to  be  trained, 
and  the  future  polo  pony  would  be  sure  of  an  edu- 
cation along  the  most  scientific  lines,  given  at  the 
proper  age,  and  consistently  carried  through. 

An  advantageous  method  of  getting  under  way 
early  would  be  to  secure  the  services  of  one  or  more 
of  the  most  successful  and  reliable  existing  organiza- 
tions and  have  them  purchase  a  suitable  number  of 
likely  ponies  of  polo  age.    This  could  be  done  while 


150  As  TO  Polo 

looking  up  and  purchasing  the  sires  and  dams  of 
good  ponies  then  playing.  These  young  horses  could 
be  trained  at  the  ranch  and  furnish  an  immediate 
supj)ly.  This  could  go  on  from  year  to  year  until 
the  new  stock  raised  on  the  ranch  came  along,  after 
which  outside  purchases  could  be  gradually  discon- 
tinued. 

The  rancJi  should  maintain  a  polo  club  with  good 
fields,  under  the  charge  of  a  pastmaster  in  the  art 
of  polo.  Members  could  get  some  winter  sport  and 
buy  their  strings  right  there  each  year,  so  that  only 
the  ponies  known  to  be  wanted  would  be  shipped 
up,  which  would  make  a  ver}'  satisfactory  result 
for  the  place  and  for  the  pockets  of  the  jtlayers. 
It  ought  to  reduce  the  cost  of  polo  ponies  very  con- 
siderably and  increase  the  nund^er  of  good  ones. 

These  suggestions  are  merely  ideas  which  have 
been  running  rather  loosely  through  my  head,  and 
I  do  not  doubt  that  a  person  more  familiar  with  the 
breeding  of  polo  ponies  will  see  many  ways  of  doing 
better.  But  I  feel  quite  confident  that  the  funda- 
mental plan  of  a  systematic  and  organized  method 
of  supplying  polo  ponies  is  not  only  desirable  but 
will  some  time  prove  to  be  necessary.  I  believe  that, 
with  such  an  institution  started,  and  with  polo  men 
of  means  willing  to  see  it  through  its  first  lean 
years,  it  would  solve  the  polo  pony  supply  prob- 
lem of  the  United  States,  and  later  possibly  of  other 
countries.  I  see  no  reason  why  the  numbers  should 
be  at  all  limited  there  and  I  do  not  see  why  the 
supply  could  not  be  kept  right  up  to  the  annual 
demand. 
Other  sports  I  believe  a  club  organized  on  some  ranch  where 

at  the  ranch.        horses  could  be  raised  in  these  numbers  would  afford 
many  attractions  to  sportsmen,  and  there  could  be 


A  Possible  Way  of  Supplying  Ponies      151 


many  sports  besides  polo  there,  all  of  which  would 
be  a  matter  of  gradual  growth  from  year  to  year. 
As  the  popularity  and  use  of  the  club  grew,  the  time 
might  easily  come  when  this  breeding  ranch  became 
a  place  where  polo  players  from  all  over  the  country 
would  gather  for  a  few  months  and  have  polo,  tennis, 
golf,  and  possibly  hunting,  coursing,  and  other 
sports,  meet  eacli  other,  and  buy  their  annual  supply 
of  ponies.  They  could  bring  their  neophytes  desirous  Training 
of  being  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  game,  who  school  of 
would  thus  begin  under  the  favorable  auspices  of  players  as  well 
some  trained  master  who  would  put  them  through  ''^'^  ^*  pomes, 
those  exercises  which  are  the  best  preliminary  in- 
struction for  polo  beginners,  and  possibh'  save  them 
from  making  a  great  many  mistakes  and  ruining  a 
good  many  ponies  before  learning  by  bitter  experi- 
ence things  which  they  might  have  easily  learned 
beforehand.  I  speak  from  my  own  experience  and 
I  do  not  doubt  at  all  that  many  polo  players  have 
similar  experience  to  look  back  upon  and  regret, 
particularly  the  unwise  practices  that  resulted  in 
losing  their  first  polo  ponies  when  a  little  knowledge 
would  have  prevented  it. 


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